The Severus Snape Saga
by LiquidVamp
Summary: Severus x Lily, Other Pairings A collection of snapshots that evolved into the life of Severus Snape. Beginning in his Hogwarts years with his relationship with Lily Evans, life with his son Harry Potter, to his death. Severius. VERY AU!
1. Tears in the Rain

**Forgiving Rain**

**Part 1 of the Severus Snape Saga**

**As you might note in my profile each chapter has it's own listing. That is because this stry was first written as single one-shots that developed into a full on Severitus response. A reviewer suggested they be connected together under one header. Feel free to follow them as one-shots or in this manor where they are all in chapter form together.  
**

**A/N:**_ I wrote this piece after my best friend requested a Lily/Snape fiction. At the time I couldn't think of a title for it. I sent it to my beta, Lbandoly, untitled. Here are her notes:_

**Beta Note :**_That the title was the first thing that came into my head, you decide if you like the title. Very fitting for my current mood as well, and man it hit home…._

**A/N 2:**_My muse is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.** Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work.**_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**----------**

The rain was coming down by the bucket, so heavy you could barely make out anything two feet in front of your face. Fitting for the evening he had hurt her. The sky could cry for him and for her. Why had he called her that name, that horrible, wretched name?

He didn't much care that he was breaking curfew or that he was too close to the Forbidden Forest. He didn't care that his robes were soaked clean through chilling him to the bone. For once it didn't matter that salty tears were falling from his obsidian eyes; the rain masked them.

No the only thing that mattered was that he, Severus Snape, had hurt her. God what a fool he was to lash out at his only friend simply because she couldn't stop that mongrel Black and that idiot Potter.

He, sitting below his favorite tree's bowing limbs, cried. "Oh Merlin, what have I done to you Lily?" Tears continued to roll down his face getting lost in the rain.

He didn't hear the approaching footfalls on the soggy ground or notice the slight figure of a girl coming towards him. He didn't realize anyone was there at all till she laid her hand of his shoulder. "Severus?"

There, squatted in front of him, was the one person he didn't think he would ever speak to again. Certainly it would have been a fitting punishment for his cruel tongue. Her wet hair clung to her neck and face, water rolling in rivets down her face. "Lily?"

"You're gonna catch your death sitting out here in the rain. Madam Pomfrey is going to have your head if come in sick."

"Lily?"

"Dear me, lost your mind completely I see."

"Why are you here? Don't you hate me?"

"No. I should, but I don't. What the boys did to you was uncalled for. I should have tried harder. I could have stopped them if I had just tried."

"Still, I shouldn't have called you that."

"You're forgiven."

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

"Lily you don't mean that."

"Severus why do you always have to question this? Us? Why can't I just care about you without having some ulterior motive for doing so? Can't I just forgive you because that is what friends do for one another?"

"Because no one does that for me."

"So I'm no one?"

"You know what I mean Lils. Stop twisting what I'm saying."

"Then open up your rain soaked brain and pay attention Severus Snape. I care about you. I like your dark sense of humor. I like your lanky black hair. I love your eyes; it's like looking into eternity when I look into them. I love that you're smart and don't try to shove it down everyone's throat. I giggle because you think wand waving is foolish. So you said one thing to me that you shouldn't have said. It's not like I haven't said things I shouldn't to you before."

She stopped and paused to gather her thoughts. "Five years Severus. Five years we have spent working together in potions. Did you know the day that Professor Slughorn assigned us to sit together I wanted to scream. No Gryffindor wanted to have to sit with a Slytherin. But you know what? After just two weeks I would have put up one hell of a fight had I been told I couldn't sit there anymore. Don't you see? I've been slowly falling in love with you since we were eleven. I refuse to allow one little comment in the middle of a bad situation destroy how I feel about you."

He couldn't believe his ears; there was no way the beautiful Lily Evans had fallen in love with him. "Do you mean that?"

"You know I do. I don't say things I don't mean."

"Very Gryffindor of you."

"Severus," she admonished.

"Lily you know how hard this is for me to believe. I want to though."

"Then do." Lily gathered every spare ounce of Gryffindor courage she could muster and leaned in and kissed him. Her soft lips tasted felt like rose petals after a spring rain. The kiss wasn't long or earth shattering. It was soft and short and perfectly Lily. "We should go in out of the rain."

"May I walk you back?"

She giggled. "I would be honored if you would."

He extended his arm and he wrapped her around it.

"Severus? I think I might love you. Would that be okay with you?"

He smiled a rare smile. "Yes."

He didn't need to offer her the same sentiment. Lily knew him. Showing affection was not an easy task for him. She could accept the look she read in his eyes instead of his words. After all it only matters that she knows that he cared about her, not that she hear it.


	2. Regret Fixes Nothing

**Regret Fixes Nothing**

**Part 2 of the Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **My muse is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.** Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work.**_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**LSSLSSLSSLSSLSSLSS**

The night was dark. A starless sky hung thick and ominous with heavy storm clouds looming, waiting for the perfect moment to release their torrent like the waves of darkness that consumed her very soul.

She had to know. She wrapped her cloak around her, tucking her vibrant red hair back so it would not be seen. She pulled her hood down low over her eyes. It wouldn't do anyone any good for her to be caught there; mudbloods didn't visit such seedy territory if they knew what was good for them. A fact she well knew, but she had to know for certain…

She picked a spot in a hidden alcove that they had visited more than once before and waited to see if he would respond to her missive to meet her here just once more. At half past the hour, just when she had decided he was not coming, a tall darkly cloaked figure entered the hiding spot. He dropped his hood and stood, black hair framing his face.

"You summoned me."

She pulled her hood back revealing the green eyes he had once claimed to love so much and red hair that flowed like shimmering flames. "I had to know."

"Know what? Know if your betrayal had cut me to the core, to know if your indiscretion had wrought me utterly devoid of hope. Well have your look then. See what you have made me."

"Sev…"

"Lily do stop. Your remorse is misplaced. I need none of your pity. I never needed it when I was younger and I certainly do not need it now that you have fornicated with Potter and have gotten yourself impregnated with his progeny."

"You never let me explain."

"There is nothing to explain Madame. It was not so long ago it was my bed you were warming. I'm quite sure I understand how one comes to be in the family way. Your pitiful excuses are not necessary."

"Severus please, you don't understand."

Anger vibrated twisting his aura to a nasty red. "What is to understand? You let that prick fuck you. It wasn't bad enough you let him sully you but now you carry his child. How did you expect me to handle that? Everything is not all sunshine and puppies _Lils_. You made your bed and obviously slept in it. I'm merely glad I found out before I did something entirely stupid like asking you to be my wife."

"Severus please, just let me explain."

"I do not want or need the explanations of a common mudblood whore."

She had taken enough of his ranting, if he wouldn't let her explain then fine sod him. He never had to know the child beneath her breast was his. "Fine, if you won't listen, then you need not know. But I must know, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"The Order says…"

He knew what she was implying. He yanked the cuff of his robe and shirt sleeve away, ripping the buttons off as if they were never there to reveal the marred flesh of his left forearm. "Is this what you want to know? Do you like seeing this _Lils_? See what you have made me? You should be proud Lily, all those years of my monster of a muggle father and yet I have never hated him as much as I hate you. I'll see my revenge on you for the pain you brought me. I would have loved to see the same on him, but alas death took him before I could grant it."

"What have you done?" The shock of seeing the morsmordre burned into his skin made her go white. Pain flashed through her swollen abdomen as she faced the lengths he had gone to in search of a relief from obvious pain and betrayal. Pain and betrayal she had brought on him. If only…

"Oh God Severus how could you?"

"How could I? Oh that's bloody rich coming for you. The Scarlett Woman dares ask how someone could so something unconscionable. I did what I must. You know full well a war is coming and when it does I fully intend to be on the side that wins. You'll see a time will come when darkness reigns. On second thought you likely won't see. After all the Dark Lord does wish all mudbloods dead, no amount of brains and good looks will save you when his wand is turned on you."

Her knees went weak; she dropped to the filthy ground below wracked with sobs. "This is my fault entirely."

His laugh was cruel and cutting. "For once Lils you couldn't be more correct. This," he indicated to the mutilated flesh of his arm, "is entirely your fault. My original plan would have led down a path far different for both of us. But alas you destroyed all of that with one night in another man's bed. I do hope you're happy together for however short a time that may be."

He could stand her presence no longer; he raised his hood and turned to leave. He barely heard the painful whisper among her sobs. "The child isn't James'. He's yours. If you had just let me explain…."

He stopped and stood stock still at the opening back into Knockturn Alley with his back still turned to her. There was no possible way he had just heard her say that. Five months he had watched her grow rounded with pregnancy from afar cursing the very ground that James Potter walked thinking the child she protected insider her body was the child of his enemy. There was no way that she would have kept the truth of the child's parentage from him this long no matter what his last words to her had been. He dared not turn back around to face her just yet. "Repeat what you said."

She looked up to see the man she still dearly loved still standing with his back to her shaking from anger and quiet possibly fear and shame. "The child, my son, he is your blood."

"You lie."

"I would not lie to you ever. Had I wanted to lie to you I would never have told you about sleeping with James in the first place. You know as well as I that I have never lied to you Severus. The child is yours."

He turned around still shaking and looked at her. Her eyes never lied. One look and he would know. "My child?"

She looked up at him, tears marring her face. "Yes."

Nothing but truth shone from her eyes, this child truly was his. "How do you know?"

"Severus you and I both know I'm not incapable of using a cauldron. I took a potion. The results were very clear. The child is a Snape without question."

"That potion could have killed you if it had been made even the slightest bit incorrectly."

"You think I don't know that? You're not the only one with a brain Severus. I knew full well the possible results of failure. I took that risk because I had to know if what my heart knew was true."

"You risked my child…"

"I had to know…I thought you might like to know. But I was wrong because you never let me explain."

"Did you expect I would?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess we both have bred irrational expectations of the other."

"I guess so."

"You married Potter."

"What would you have had me do? You tossed me aside without so much as allowing me a word in edgewise. You took the word of a jealous woman as gold and never let me say anything to contradict it."

"I was hurt."

"You could have asked. I would have told you what truly happened between him and me."

"Then I ask now. Did you sleep with Potter?"

"No. I admit I very nearly did. I was down to my knickers when I shoved him away and left crying. I couldn't do it. No matter how angry you had made me, I couldn't willingly hurt you that way. I loved you then and I love you now, but it's too late. What's done is done. It can't be undone."

"I…"

"What you want matters not. You didn't want to listen when it mattered Severus and now I'm married and you have pledged an allegiance to a man that wishes me dead simply because of my blood. No matter what either of us wants the wheels have been set in motion. There can be no fixing that mistake now."

"Does Potter know the child isn't his?"

"No and I wish it to remain that way."

"The child will look nothing like him and you well know it Lily. You can't hide who his father is when he is born."

She rose to her feet, slightly shaky from the conversations emotional toll on her fragile state. "I can but I'll need your help. If you will not give it I'll seek out another potions master that can provide me with what I need."

"No," he roared. "I will not allow you to dose my unborn child to look like another man."

She looked at him with sad eyes. "You have to. If not then the world will know you have a child. A child who's mother is a mudblood. Your master will see all of us dead for that. As long as the child appears to be James' he will be afforded at least some sense of safety even if we both know there is no such thing."

"I…"

She cut him off not daring to hear him back peddle. "Just say you'll brew it. I'll stay out of your life. Your child will grow up safe and loved no matter what I'll see to it that he doesn't have the childhood you did. James might be a right arse but he will love this child."

"You would curse me to never see my heir."

"You did that when you let the dark arts pull you in…when you took that hideous mark."

"Lily I'm…"

"Don't apologize Severus, too much has passed between us that can not be fixed. Words of regret won't help either of us. Just say you'll brew the potion and that after that you'll stay away from our child. I won't have him risked because of your curiosities."

"I can't."

"Then you condemn us all to death if I can't find another master capable of brewing the potion." She pulled her hood up and moved to step past him.

He grabbed her arm to stop her. "I'll brew the potion, but I can't swear I won't try to see my son."

"He can't ever know James isn't his father."

"I can keep that knowledge to myself. I don't wish my child, or you, dead."

"Send an owl when it's ready." She passed him a parchment envelope. "The ingredient you'll need is in here. I've already made plans to be away visiting family in America when the time comes to take it."

"You need to be near a medi-witch when you take the potion. You can not be off traveling."

"I know that. The story is to cover my absence. There is a medi-witch I know of that will keep the information to herself. I'll take it at her home and remain there till the effects have passed."

"You'll do no such thing. I'll administer the potion. If something goes wrong I need to be there. A common medi-witch may not be prepared for every occurrence. You are more than welcome to invite her to join us if you so desire a third party present during your stay at Spinner's End."

She nodded. "I'll let her know first thing tomorrow that you have agreed."

"Does she know I'm the father?"

"No. She only knows that you are the only potions master I trust to brew the potion properly."

"Then you do not trust her?"

"No. I do, but it's easier to keep this a secret if no one knows except us."

He nodded his agreement. "It should be ready in two weeks. Will that give you significant time to foster this fake trip to the colony?"

"Yes."

"I'll send a missive when it's done then." He left her arm drop form his hand. "Lily…"

She placed a finger over his lips to still them. "I already told you not to apologize Severus. What's done is done. Thank you for doing this for us." She was gone before he could reply.

He decided to walk for a while instead of going straight home. He had pushed the love of his life away with a child within her that was rightly his and now that the truth was out there was nothing he could do but regret his mistakes and offer a potion that might well kill his son and Lily. But it was all he had to offer. They would be dead for certain if steps weren't taken to hide the child's parentage from his fellow Deatheaters.

He cursed himself the entire walk for not having trusted her enough to know that she would never have betrayed him. Now he had truly lost his chance at a happy family to call his own.


	3. Last Will and Testament

**Last Will and Testament**

**Part 3 of the Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **My muse is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.** Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work.**_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

Minerva McGonagall set behind the headmistress's desk staring down at the box in front of her. Next to it sat the Last Will and Testament for Albus Dumbledore. It had only been two week's since his death and she was as of yet unprepared for the task that sat before her to read and dispense with the document in front of her. "You doddering old fool, why did you leave this to me to do?" she said to herself quietly. Molly and Arthur said nothing, but simply waited for her to regain her composure to follow through with the task assigned her.

Finally unable to continue putting off the inevitable she gathered the parchment roll, unfurled it, and began to read aloud for the others to hear.

"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class; Grand Sorcerer; Founder of the Order of the Phoenix; Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards; Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, being of sound mind and body to here by bestow the following items to those listed herein upon the event of my death.

To Severus Snape, I will not insult you by leaving you with money you have no need for or properties you would not visit. Instead I offer something priceless. With this missive there is a box; inside that box are preserved memories that prove your innocence in my death. I know if this is being read that you are thought guilty and are likely on the run, which is why I ask that Minerva and Arthur Weasley please review their contents and seek the freedom you so deserve. My boy, you are the son I was never blessed with. The day you sought me out I never could have guessed the winding path we set ourselves upon. You have made an old man proud Severus. Be strong for there is one that you and I both know will continue to need you. When your innocence has been proven show him the memories. He must know for himself that you are not to blame for my death but that you granted me a reprieve from a pain that was far greater than any death could ever hold. If ever I have had a regret in my life it is that I didn't find a way to save you from the path you first ventured down and that I wasn't able to lessen your strain once you sought my aid. One last thing my dear boy, a time is soon at hand were a certain potion will be needed. It's time for old secrets to die. You know as well as I that he is stronger than any before or after him, but he will need you to help him see that. Be safe my son and teach him in my stead to honor what is true and right."

Minerva placed the paper down and wiped her eyes. "You have no problem with following through with this request do you Arthur?"

"Not at all, once we are finished we'll set right to it. It might take some time to find him so that we might tell him. I can begin looking for him as soon as we've seen them."

"There is no need. I know where Albus would have directed him to go in this event. In fact I'm fairly certain one of the memories will tell us just that." She cleared her throat and picked up the parchment once more beginning to read.

"To Molly and Arthur Weasley my dear friends; so long I have watched you. More than once have you proved to be the heart and soul of a misshapen family of peace loving souls connected not by blood but by a singular goal to do what is right in this world. So much you grant to those around you with little compensation in it for yourself. I quite well know your opinion on charity so before you read on, do know that is not what this is. This is payment for hundreds of hours spent caring for people as if they were your own family, for endless struggles in the name of the light, for midnight meals and clean bed linens. Recompense for years of taking care of those who needed a good warm hug and a cuppa, for so many things that it would take me an age to list them all. Call it a delayed wage earned in service to light if you will. The contents of vault number two hundred and two are yours to do with any way you so please. I would hope that you would frivolously spend it on yourselves, but I daresay I know both of you better than that. Do try not to give it all away won't you. Yes I realize the sum is rather unseemly but do remember to the victor go the spoils. The contents of that vault were the personal holding of Grimwald issued to me upon his demise. I can think of no one better of than you two to earn so rich a reward."

Molly was crying openly, sobbing against her husband's shoulder as he rubbed calming circles against her shoulder. Once again Minerva stopped reading. "Arthur would you please step out and ask Harry to join us?"

He nodded. Dropping his arm from around Molly he rose and made his way to the door, opening it to reveal Harry sitting on the floor outside the Headmistress's office. "Harry my boy, come on in and sit please."

Harry joined the trio. His face was drawn and tired. The grief of the headmaster's recent passing still haunting him deeply. The moment he was seated Minerva once again began to read.

"To Harry James Potter, you my boy are a special case. I have known since the moment it became public knowledge that your mother was with child that you would be a powerful wizard like none before you. I've been unfair to you over the years but I promise I have always tried to put your best interests first over the fears of an old man not ready to see the world bow to Voldemort. More than once I've unfairly heaped more responsibility on your young shoulders than you should ever have had to carry, but every time you took that burden and did what you must to face it. Still while I write this I know the strain you are under that is in part due to myself. For that my boy I beg you hear now my apologies. I know there is nothing I can give you that will ever repay you for the pain you have suffered in part due to my insufferable worrying about the future and your part in it. But know this my child, I have never doubted your abilities as a wizard nor would anyone else if they knew you as I do. I can see that your future is slightly more secure after the completion of your studies at Hogwarts. I own a small cottage outside Hogsmead and one not far from Diagon Alley in muggle London, both of which I wish to pass to you. I understand your wish to not return to your godfather's home or to the remains of your parents home and can only hope that one or the other of these might offer you a suitable place to call your own. Be strong Harry and know that you hold a great power at your finger tips, that there is power in forgiveness, and that love is most powerful in the dark times.

To my dearest Minerva I leave everything not listed before to another to you. A full accounting of my entire estate is listed at the end of this document. My love, I have cared for you since the tender glow of young adulthood still colored your cheeks. I know our life has been one of quiet solitude away from prying eyes but know this; in my heart I have always loved you. I pray that in my stead the Board of Governors see fit to leave Hogwarts in your care my dear for I can think of no one more aptly suited to take it on in my stead. Remember my dearest _when the light begins to fade, and shadows fall across the see, one bright star in the evening sky, your loves light leads me on my way. _I love you Minerva from now until the end of eternity you are my heart. May the gods bless and keep you in my departure from this mortal world. Fear not my love for one day we will be together again beyond the veil.

Signed, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore"

Tears rolled freely down Minerva's face after reading the end of his will. She had never once thought that he thought such things for those listed therein. She placed the parchment to the side and opened the box before her. Inside were no less than two dozen cork topped vials with swirling memories contained within them. She had thought from the moment she had learned of Albus's fate that there was something she had not been privy to and now she would find out just want that was.

"Molly if you'll go on ahead with Harry and go back to the Burrow I'll be along in a few hours. I rather feel like I owe it to both of them to begin viewing those memories tonight."

Molly nodded before turning to Harry. "Come along now Harry. We'll walk into Hogsmead and pay a visit to Honeydukes and floo home from there. I'm sure Ron and Ginny would enjoy a bag of chocolates don't you think?"

"Yes Mrs. Weasley."

"Good then. Fetch your cloak then and we'll be off." Arthur already had Molly's cloak in hand, holding it open for her to slip on. "Now don't you go being too late you hear? It will take more than one night to save him."

Arthur gave his wife a warm smile. She knew him so well. "Yes Molly."

Molly nodded her goodbye to Minerva. "Thank you for having us Minny. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Your sympathies are most appreciated Molly. I shall see you soon, hopefully with a hungry man in need of a good meal or several."

"I'll be holding you to that. Don't let him pull that stoic routine he likes to put on. If he dares not accept what has been rightly left for him or to refuse his place in the Order, inform him I'll be coming for him with my rolling pen in one hand and wand in the other until he sees reason."

Minerva couldn't resist a giggle at the sight of Molly going after Severus Snape with a wand and a rolling pen. Truth told she might truly enjoy seeing it. "I'll be sure to inform him."

With that Molly and Harry set off from the castle and Arthur and Minerva set about watching each memory in the order that had been listen on a parchment sealed inside the box.

Secrets were brought into the light and the wheels of change set firmly on the path to enlightenment.


	4. Confrontation on the Bluffs

**Confrontation on the Bluffs**

**Part 4 of the Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **My muse is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.** Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work.**_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

"Are you sure this is it?"

"Yes.' Minerva passed a small slip of tattered parchment to Arthur. "Read it."

"Maiden's Buff Cottage." As Arthur read the name several yards in front of him a small cottage slowly appeared out of thin air. "Fidelius charm."

"Exactly. It was my grandmother's home before her passing. Albus and I placed it under the Fidelius during the first war to act as a safe house were it needed. He and I are the only ones that knew of its existence for many years. Sometime after Albus became certain that he-who-must-not-be-named would soon return, around the time Harry and Ron entered Hogwarts, he informed Severus of its location in the event that his cover ever became exposed. He'll be here. You saw it, Albus told him to go house on the bluff. This is the only place that makes sense. Both Severus and I would know what it meant. He wouldn't disregard that wish. I'm certain of it."

Arthur placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. He'll be here. We will sort this all out and take him home where he and the boy belong."

She nodded her head in agreement before straightening her robes. She patted her pocket to check for the last time for the vials of urgent memories that would ensure Severus knew what Albus had told them. "You have the pensive?"

"Right here in my pocket. Bless my soul, I thought Molly could fret. Minny I've known you a fairly long time and I can honestly say I've never once seen you like this. I know you are worried he will think we are here to take him and the boy in. But I swear on the cornerstone of Hogwarts if you don't calm down woman I'm going to send you back to for a calming draught. I'll force you by hex if necessary to stay there while I return to do this on my own. Now calm yourself."

"You need not be sharp Arthur." She picked up the hem of her robes and stalked to the door. Arthur nodded his head and followed her. Witches in general were all alike, tell them they can't do something and they set out immediately to prove to you they can. Molly and Minny were two of the worst perpetrators of said offence lucky enough for him.

Minerva took a deep breath and knocked on the stout wooden door. The two could hear Severus order Draco to lock himself in the cellar. The sounds of quick movements and items shuffling could be heard through the ancient wooden door.

Minny took another deep breath and called out to the fugitives hidden in the home. "Severus, please open the door. It's Minerva. I know you're here because Albus sent you here. Please. I'm not here to hurt you or to turn you in. Open the door please."

The door opened barely an inch, the tip of a wand pointed through it. "Are you alone?"

"No. Arthur is with me."

"Why?"

"Because Albus requested he help me."

"Prove it's you."

"How?"

"Tell me something only you and Albus would know."

"You have a son."

"No I don't."

"Don't lie Severus. It doesn't become you. We both know you have a son."

"I have no son."

"Fine then, Lily had a son."

"Everyone knows that."

"That child has your blood, not James's."

Severus growled in defeat.

"Merlin help me, Severus if you don't open that door and let me in so help me I'll hex this house down around your ears. Now open the flaming door!"

Arthur laughed. She was one spiteful witch when she was testy. "Severus, good man, please open the door before she starts throwing hexes. I don't fancy getting caught in the crossfire if you don't mind."

The tip of Severus's wand drew back through the crack and the sound of more shuffling filled the silence for a few moments. Slowly the door opened to reveal a disheveled Severus Snape on the other side.

"May we come in?"

"You may do as you please. This is your home after all."

Minerva shook her head. "Thank you for paying heed to that fact now that you've left me standing on the stoop for the past five minutes at wand point."

Minerva and Arthur followed Severus through the small living room into the adjoining kitchen. "Why are you here?"

"Straight to the point as always Severus. Not even an offer for a cuppa. Your manners are seriously slacking young man."

"Minerva so help me… please inform me why you are here so you may leave the way you came."

"We are here to take you and Draco home."

"I'm sorry but did your or did you not just stand at the front door and tell me you weren't here to do just that."

Arthur released a weary sigh. "She didn't mean turn you in to Aurors. She meant to return you to your life. We know what happened."

"Of course you do. I killed a man. So do get on with this. Take me already, but I beg you Draco did nothing wrong, let him go."

Minny steeled herself. "Severus you can't kill a man who asks for death."

"Excuse me?"

"We know he forced you to carry out the Oath. He was dying anyway. You didn't murder him. You granted him relief from a slow, painful death."

Severus dropped heavily into a straight backed kitchen chair. His head dropped to his hands. "How do you know that?"

"You didn't honestly think Albus would let you do that without offering you peace for it? He left every drop of evidence he could to prove your innocence."

"He…" Severus swallowed hard at the realization that he had not been abandoned to his own ill fate. The very man he had killed had paved a way for him to have at least some sort of life.

"He's at peace and in his wake he has left a mountain of proof that you didn't kill him willingly. Every conversation you had with him that was in some way important to him or the Order or your son is in my possession. From the first oath you made to him when you first deserted_ him _in favor of Albus and the Order, to the conversation you had the morning of his death. It's all in a box locked away in a secret location except for the three I thought you should see were you to want proof that we weren't here to turn you in."

"He…"

"Yes Severus. He loved you like a father loves a son and he did everything possible to ensure you had a life when his was already forfeited by his own rash actions. He knew he was dieing. You had to know that. You tried to heal him. Poppy tried. The only other thing left to do…"

"Was to use his own death to make the Dark Lord think the side of Light had lost its leader."

"Precisely," both Arthur and Minerva answered at the same time.

Severus could no longer retain the tears that had been threatening to fall since the moment the visitors had set foot in the tiny cottage. "That foolish old man. He…" His words halted with a fresh wave of emotion.

Arthur continued for him as Severus choked back a sob, "…used you. Yes he did. But that's what he was always best at wasn't it?" Arthur stopped and took a breath before his anger rose at the foolishness of the former leader of the Light. "I've heard Harry accuse him of playing him like a pawn in a game of demented chess. At the time I wanted to give that boy a good tongue lashing for speaking ill of Albus but at this moment I must agree with the lad. Albus worked the game right up through his own checkmate."

The minutes slowly passed, with them Severus's tears slowly ebbed away. It was Arthur that dared bring up the subject of Draco. "Draco is here with you?"

Severus looked up and nodded. "Yes."

"We were unsure where he would be. Did the… _he_ turn him out for not doing what he was charged to do?"

Severus shook his head. "No and yes. He was punished for not finishing the task by the Dark Lord but it was Lucius that disowned him after. The Dark Lord refused him to enter his service after. He couldn't have the disowned son of one of his commanders in his service when the boys own father wouldn't have him."

"Lucius just let the boy come with you? I'm amazed he didn't kill him."

"Truthfully I am as well. But I believe I know why he chose this path instead of killing the boy."

"And that would be."

"He believes he's depriving Draco, which he is of course. He grew up rich and rather spoiled. In disowning Draco Lucius has taken his name, his wealth, his past, his present, and his future. In Lucius's mind he's taken away something more precious than his life."

Both of them nodded their heads in understanding. It would seem like a worst thing to do to the boy. Most likely the boy thought along the same lines after the way he had been raised. Dieing was noble. To die for your failures was expected. To be cut off from everything you knew and had was shameful. It was the worst punishment for the so-called crime.

"And what of you?"

"I was punished along with Bellatrix and Narcissa for aiding him. But I was allowed to maintain my place. _He_ was after all pleased that the task was completed."

"Then Albus's plan worked. He didn't die simply for his own rash behaviors."

"So it would seem."

Minerva rose up from her seat and moved to the door that she knew led to the cellar of the tiny cottage. "He's down here is he not?"

"He is."

She nodded and drew her wand. Several quick flicks later she had disabled the few wards that were added to the cellar door to unward it. "Draco, listen. I know you are likely on the other side of that door listening to every word we've said. You know Arthur and I mean no harm to you or Severus. You may come out now."

The door remained closed and no sound emitted from behind it. Severus moved up from his chair and around Minerva. He opened the door. As light flooded in Severus and Minerva could see the blonde boy sitting curled in a ball near the door, his head on his knees. Severus kneeled in front of the shaking boy. "Come now Draco, let's get up. We'll go in the kitchen and have a cup of tea and see if we can't calm your nerves. All is well. They are not here to hurt you or me."

The barest whisper formed on Draco's lips. "This is my entire fault."

"No Draco it's not. You were played in this game as much as I have been. You didn't kill him nor did you force me to. The blame for the oath I took lies at your mother's feet. More lies at the feet of a dead man for not allowing me to sacrifice myself in his stead. But know this, I don't begrudge your mother for seeking out a way to ensure your safety nor do I begrudge you for not finishing the task yourself. In fact I'm more proud of you than I can say because you didn't do it. I've told you that time and time again since we arrived here. Come now, you heard them, his death was unavoidable. Nothing you or I did could have changed that. Be glad that the old man's plot worked to fool the opposition."

The teen's tears slowly tapered away into hiccups.

Minerva steadied her voice. "Draco, come on out young man. Arthur has made a fresh pot of tea and I do believe if I'm not overly mistaken that he has fresh biscuits in his pocket care of Molly."

Draco rose on shaking legs to stand. Severus offered his hand to stead himself against. "If you would like I can give you a calming potion in your tea to help." Draco nodded his head and allowed the older man to lead him up the stairs into the tiny kitchen.

True to Minerva's words a fresh pot of steaming tea sat on the table next to a plate of chocolate biscuits. Draco took a seat in the fourth chair and pulled a biscuit from the tray rather hesitantly. It had been an age since he had anything sweet, since Hogwarts in fact. The supplies that had been stocked in the cottage hadn't included such indulgences nor had any of the supplies that Severus had returned with during his quick trips to the nearest muggle market.

Severus rejoined the group and passed a small uncorked vial to Draco. The blonde drank down the contents in one swallow before handing it back to the older man. Severus poured himself a cup of tea and grabbed a couple biscuits. The group sat quietly eating and sipping their tea for several long minutes.

When Minerva finished her tea she pushed her cup away and spoke. "Albus left some specific instructions for you in his will."

Severus's head snapped up. "Such as?"

"He says it's nearing a time when a certain potion is needed. I am only left to assume this has something to do with your son."

"Minerva," he admonished the matronly woman for saying something of the nature in front of Draco.

"Come now Severus. Certainly he heard me announce the same at the front door." Draco nodded in agreement. "See. I do believe Albus means for it to become public knowledge."

"No. He'll be in even more danger than he manages to constantly find himself in. I won't permit it."

"Severus we both know that the boy is going to need you as much as Draco does. He needed you years ago but we were in no position to reveal those secrets."

"And we are now?"

"I believe so. Obviously Albus did if he's suggesting you brew what I think he's suggesting."

"He is." 

"Then you know that it's needed."

"No. It just goes to prove our theory correct."

"Theory?"

"That Albus will play anyone into the position he needs them. I won't allow him, even in death, to do this to him. The boy won't be able to tolerate the idea of me as his father. It would break him like nothing before ever has."

"We have to play the board out Severus. He won't hate you. The boy is starving for family. You know that. Certainly the signs have not escaped you all these years. I've never known you to over look them from any other student."

Severus looked down into his empty cup. "No they haven't. I would have done anything to have been able to stop it but I couldn't without risking him more than he always was."

Draco sat turning his head back and forth between Severus and Minerva. It was clear that whoever Severus's son was they all knew him but the boy didn't know his father.

"Minerva I can't tell him. He'll despise me for leaving him with them more than he already does hate me."

Draco finally couldn't take it anymore. "Who is he?"

"Draco," Severus warned.

"Severus answer the lad. It might do you good to just admit it for once."

"Professor who are you talking about. I'm certain whoever your son is, you know him but he doesn't know you. If I didn't know better I would say I'm supposed to know him."

Severus swallowed. "You do."

"Well then who is it?"

"Draco I can't."

Minerva was starting to get that look in her eye. The one she always seemed to have when she was about ready to pull her wand on you. "Severus tell him or I will."

"You have no right."

"Bloody hell I don't. If you're planning on taking Draco in permanently then he deserves to know who your son it. Your son deserves to know for Circe's sake."

Severus flew out of his chair, pacing the tiny room. "Fine you want everyone to know so bloody bad then they'll know. Potter, Harry is my son! There now he knows!"

Draco's mouth dropped open in shock. "Potter?"

"Yes Draco the very boy I've done nothing but disparage for the past six years is my child."

"There is no way, that child looks just like the picture of James Potter from the yearbooks in the Slytherin dorm."

"He looks that way because he was dosed with a paternity changing potion that I brewed while his mother still carried him."

"But why? I mean honestly why isn't he with you? Why is he a Potter?"

"Because I did something entirely stupid and pushed his mother right into the arms of my childhood enemy. By the time I knew the truth about her and her about me it was too late to fix it. She had already married Potter. The child had to be dosed or James and the rest of the world would have known that Harry was my child. Had the Dark Lord known that he and I were father and son we would have been in even more danger than we separately already were."

"The prophesy you told me about?"

"Exactly. By the time I knew Lily was pregnant with my child and not Potter's I had already taken the mark. Had the Dark Lord come to know that I had a child with a muggleborn and that the child fit the prophecy not only would Harry have been in more risk but I likely would have been dead myself."

"That's why you turned spy isn't it?"

"Partly yes."

"The rest of the reason?"

"Because I knew I had made an extremely stupid mistake in joining in the first place. There would be no way out. The only thing left to do would be to bring back whatever information I could to Albus in hopes that it might help the Order to win."

"So you're going to tell him?"

"Apparently it's what's requested of me. Badly as I may want to I can't not deny a dead man's request of me."

The clock on the wall chimed the hour. Minerva looked up. Five PM. "We need to go. I've called a meeting of the Order for seven this evening so everyone can know the whole truth. We've already made it clear you were both not to be held at fault. I won't deny that some…"

"By some you mean Harry and his little gang."

"Yes Harry Severus, among others, is still weary. For that reason the three vials I brought to show you will be shown to the group as a whole. I can opt to show them with you present or I can show them first then have you come downstairs when they are complete. The choice is yours."

"I would prefer to be present. Draco?"

"I would prefer to be with you sir."

"Then you will be."

Minerva stood up and set the tea pot to clean itself as she moved about the kitchen tiding as she went. "Well snap to, you have two hours to gather anything you may need or want to take with you. There is plenty of room at headquarters for you both to stay there."

As if snapped into order by invisible bonds the two inhabitants of the tiny cottage moved their separate ways to gather their things while Minerva and Arthur tidied the remaining objects. After all it was still a war; you never did know when someone else might need to seek refuge behind these walls.


	5. Not Your Average Discussion

**Not Your Average Discussion**

**Part 5 of the Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **My muse is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.** Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work.**_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

Harry sat in the semi-darkness of twilight atop the covers of his bed lost in thought. He had asked everyone to give him some space after the meeting. Not that it had gone badly. No he had come to accept what Arthur and Professor McGonagall had told them the day before. After all Dumbledore had played him more than once over the years. It only made sense that he did it to others. Who better to do it to than his own spy? But none the less the day had been a drain emotionally. He just needed to space, time and space.

Her couldn't help but think that number 12 Grimwald place probably hadn't seen so much excitement since Sirius had been sorted into Gryffindor.

Suffice it to say the entire day had been one surreal dream. Or rather it had felt like a dream. From a frantic Molly baking all day long, stuffing cakes and biscuits down every throat she could find. More than once mumbling to herself that she had best not have to go after him or else his backside would meet the middle of her rolling pen just before he found himself with a nasty case of mites in a delicate location.

Everyone knew who she was talking about. After all Professor McGonagall had informed the order the night before that she had proof that Albus has forced Severus to kill him. She knew where Albus had sent him. She and Arthur would be going the following day to retrieve him and possibly Draco depending on the situation. Shocked as they were, they all knew that it was entirely plausible. Albus was rather known for working things to his will.

Then the evening had arrived and there Severus had stood looking positively broken. Draco hadn't looked a drop better. In fact Molly had to fetch a calming draught for Draco to even get him to sit through the meeting.

As just plain wrong as that picture had been it wasn't the oddest portion of the evening. No, the strangest thing of the evening had been Mad-Eye accepting both of them in without as much as a single complaint. No threats about watching their backs or comments about people being unable to change. He had just nodded his head at the pair and gone on as if nothing had happened. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore hadn't told him before his death what he was planning.

But no matter what he could still tell the Order wasn't telling him something. Sure he wasn't really a full member of the Order so being allowed at not one but two meetings in a week was surprising enough, but still he could tell there were things left unsaid because of his presence.

A knock at his door roused him from his thoughts. "Mione I told you I would see you in the morning," he called out to the person on the other side of the door.

The door opened to reveal Severus standing in the hall. "I don't much care for being referred to as a bushy haired-know-it-all female." Night had fully settled in, plunging the room into near total darkness. He pulled his wand and gave it a flick. "Lumos."

Harry snorted as Severus placed his wand back up his sleeve now able to fully see the man who still stood in the doorway. "I knew your little act downstairs was just that an act. You're no more torn up over what you did than I am a vampire with angel wings."

"Pot…Harry…everything you heard downstairs is completely true."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the former potions master. "Maybe so but you and I both know there was something left unsaid down there. There is always something left unsaid when I'm around. First it was Dumbledore and now it's everyone else. Poor Harry bloody Potter. We can't tell him anything. We'll just wait and see if he gets himself killed this time instead of telling him what he needs to know to begin with."

Severus wasn't sure he had ever heard that particular tone in the boy's voice. It was cold and detached. Something about it scared him…it sounded a bit too much like he had once upon a time. "Now you're just being insolent."

"Better to be cheeky than to be a liar."

Severus walked into the room and shut the door behind him.

Harry looked skeptically at the man who was invading his room. "What do you want anyway? I told you downstairs I'll accept what you did and that you are truly spying for the light. You have no reason to speak to me."

"You did. But as hard as it might be for you to grasp I do have a reason to be here speaking to you; far more so than anyone else in this house does in fact."

"Sure whatever…Say what you want to and get out."

Severus had to work hard to stop from tearing the boy a new arse for his unusually fierce comments. "Harry, for five minutes put your own selfish pride behind you and listen. I'm not the enemy. I never have been no matter how I have been forced to act."

"Forced to act? You like it," he accused the older man. "You like cutting people down with your words. You get some perverse joy out of making people cry with you remarks."

Severus moved across the room and took a seat in the straight backed chair that sat next to the bed where Harry sat. "I will not deny that I do enjoy it to some extent but only against certain people. Moody for example is an easy one to spar verbal with because he gives as much in return as he takes typically. Mr. Longbottom has earned nearly every comment I've made about him. How one can blow up that many caldrons is something that mystifies me. Miss. Granger…Miss Granger reminds me of myself and of someone else I knew when I was your age. It's easy to target her because I was once a target. However no matter what joys I take in cutting down some others kill me to have to do so."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right, sure."

"Harry I'm not here to argue with you or to cut you down or anything else you might expect from me. Therefore do be quiet for one bloody minute and just listen. Can you do that?"

"Yes." His response was terse and almost cold.

"You accuse the Order of keeping secrets from you. You're correct. But it's not the Order so much that is keeping as a select few. The rest know nothing. They are as blind to the truth as the rest of the world."

"What truth?"

"I'm getting there Harry."

"You keep calling me Harry. Why?"

"It is your name is it not?"

"Yes."

"I am no longer your professor, we can drop the niceties. In fact you're more than welcome to call me Severus as Draco has come to."

Harry nodded in reply unsure of what to say to dark haired man. The man was acting as far from what Harry would consider normal as possible. It was throwing him off a bit.

"Now as I was saying. There are a very small group of people who are keeping a secret from you. Minerva, Arthur who has only known since Albus' will was read, Draco who I point out didn't know until this morning when Minerva let it slip, and me. I came up to actually tell you what that secret is. I suspect you are going to hate me even more so than you do already when the truth is finally out. For that I won't blame you. I'll honestly deserve your ire."

Severus stopped to reign in his emotions. He couldn't not afford for them to get the better of him at this moment. "I have two ways I can tell you. I can simply tell you or we can go downstairs and use the pensive to show you what happened from the very beginning. This option would take longer. It would be well into the early morning hours before we got to the point where the truth would be out. Well I suppose there is a third option. I could tell you the core of it and then show you only the memories that would prove it. The choice is yours."

"Just tell me."

Severus nodded. "I'm sure you remember the memory you saw in my quarters during your occlumancy training." Harry nodded absently. "Had you seen the entire thing you would have seen the beginning of my relationship with the woman I would come to intend to marry; your mother Lily."

"Excuse me."

"Harry please. All I ask is that you listen to everything. Let me get it out then you may do your worst."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. "Fine."

"That night Lily kissed me. From there we developed a wonderful relationship. Yes Potter, Lupin, and Black knew but at the risk of pissing off Lily they kindly kept their mouths shut unless she wasn't around. Make no mistake, just because Lily and I were together did not mean they cut me in slack. They just made sure to not get caught by her. Not wishing to have a woman fight my battles I never told her either. Lily was a formidable witch very much like your own Miss Granger. She was quick with her wand when she needed to be and often extremely protective of the people she cared for. However unlike Miss Granger, _everyone_ loved Lily. Frankly it would have been hard to not love her."

He stopped again to gather his thoughts before continuing on. "Our relationship became intimate just before the end of our seventh year. By this time I had planned to ask her to marry me. However I didn't wish to do so until I had completed my potions mastery. After all I have no money to speak of, a rickety house in an industrial neighborhood of London, and absolutely nothing else. I felt it unwise to ask her to marry me until I could provide her with a decent life. Our relationship carried on in the same way for the next few years while I trained. One evening she and I got in a terrible row. She left Spinner's End very angry. I made the mistake of telling her to not come back if that was the way she felt. I didn't see her for some two weeks. I was dieing without her. Every moment that passed only served to tell me just how badly I had messed everything up. I however never made a move to find her.

On the fourteenth day that she had been gone a young woman cornered me in the Leaky Caldron during my lunch break. She informed me that James Potter has tossed her to the curb after he had slept with Lily. I was furious. The thought of Lily being in any other man's bed…well I'm sure I don't have to explain to you how that would feel."

"No sir." Harry had never personally experienced it but living in a boarding school you saw instances where couples ended up torn to shreds for cheating. It never ended well.

"Three days after that Lily showed back up on my door step. I didn't give her time to get a word in as I accused her. She didn't deny it. Well I guess she did try to explain it, but I didn't give her a chance to explain. She left again that night. When I returned home the following evening everything of hers that she typically left in my home was gone along with a note that informed me she was pregnant. I never once stopped to consider that child could be mine. I simply assumed the child was Potter's. That was my forth mistake if you have decided to keep track."

Severus dropped his head into his hands with his elbows on his thighs as the pain of the past washed over him. With his head still bowed he began again. "As the weeks past the pain of her betrayal ate at me until I could no longer take it. At dinner one evening with Lucius, he offered me a way to 'pay back the little mudblood' as he put it. I blindly and willingly followed him into the Dark Lord's service. I won't lie to you and tell you that I didn't do anything wrong while I was completely in his service. You are not naive enough to believe it even if I said it. I did some truly unspeakable things all the while telling myself I was doing this to hurt her the way she had hurt me. No matter what I did the ache of losing her never went away. I only managed to add guilt for my actions to it."

He stopped wishing for a glass of Firewhisky suddenly. "My hopes and dreams of marrying her long since dashed against the rocks. Lily married James rather suddenly after leaving the note for me that she was pregnant. During Lily's fifth month of pregnancy she summoned me to meet her in a location that she and I had met in at other times before we had gone our separate ways. It was that meeting that saved me from remaining a Deatheater for the rest of my life."

Harry looked Severus in the face. "Why do I know where this is going?"

"Because you know how many children and how many lovers Lily Potter had. One child and only two possible choices for the father as it would seem. Well only possible choice as it would turn out. The tale that I had been told that Lily had slept with James was a lie. She admitted during that meeting that she almost had allowed herself to sleep with Potter but had run off at the last possible moment. She hadn't slept with him. I would find out a few weeks later that she hadn't slept with him until the night she convinced him to elope."

"That means…"

"Yes Harry it does."

Harry sat for a moment stunned. It never had once occurred to him that his parent's life hadn't been all sugar quills and roses before their deaths. But apparently it hadn't been that at all. He was left a bit confused though. "Why do I look like him if I'm your son?"

"Lily had called me to meet her to find out if the rumors that the order had heard that I had taken the mark were true and to request a particular potion when she found out I had. This potion when taken by a pregnant mother can change the physical look of the child she is carrying for the entire life of that child given the child is never given the antidote. A lock of Potter's hair provided genetic material that when put in the potion made you look nearly like his spitting image."

"Oh." Harry looked at anything but the man he now knew to be his real father. "Why?"

"Why did she ask me to make that potion? Because I was the only one capable of doing so that would have kept our secret. Because I had taken the dark mark. Because having already taken the mark would have gotten Lily, you, and I all killed had she come back to me. The list is long. But the fact was mainly because I screwed up and pushed her into the arms of another man. She had to marry that man to protect you and save her own dignity. Not that it was too large a put out. After all I know she loved James as much as she loved any of the Marauders because I know she did; however she wasn't in love with him."

"So you made it."

"I had no choice but to make it. I was the one that overheard the prophecy about you granted it was well before I knew the child Lily was carrying was mine. I knew the moment I read the letter from her that she was with child due to give birth during the 7th month that you were the child of that prophecy. Discovering that you were my child made it that much more important to keep you hidden away. Had Lily left James to come back to me the Dark Lord would have killed her and I both before you were even born simply because I was with a muggle-born. It was either hide you as a Potter or risk everyone dieing."

"Is that why you turned spy?"

"In part. Partly because of the prophecy, partly because I hated what I had allowed myself to turn into, partly because I had disappointed Lily so badly and I wanted to be able to fix it even when I knew I couldn't begin to. But mainly because I hoped that if the war was over I could have you both back."

"Why didn't you…"

"Why didn't I come take you back after Lily and James were killed?"

Silent tears tracked down Harry's face. "Yes," he answered with whisper.

"I was in no condition to take care of you. I could barely take care of myself. I didn't even tell Albus that you were mine until you had been with your aunt and uncle for nearly a year. Even then, Albus seemed to know the Dark Lord would be back. We all, meaning Albus, Minerva, and myself, honestly thought you were in a better place as it was. The protection of your mother's love and all…"

Harry nodded in understanding. His mother's magic could only continue to work if he was with a blood relative. Plus Severus had been grieving. He wouldn't be the first father unable to act as one in the wake of losing someone he loved. Harry understood what grief could do to you. A flash of Sirius falling through the veil flickered through his mind.

Severus couldn't hold the walls up any longer. So many years of hiding behind a cold mask of indifference shattered in the blink of an eye watching his son accept the truth of the lies they had been living. Tears that had sat pooled at the corners of his eyes silently slipped down his face. "Harry I know you won't ever fully believe it, but I have truly hated myself for how I've had to treat you. I've cursed myself everyday for the past six years because I got to see you and know you were mine but was never able to treat you like a son should be treated. I hate myself because I've been forced into treating you the way my father treated me. I hate myself for having had to send you back to that house every summer knowing you would return showing signs of abuse. I hate myself for letting you and Lily down. I hate myself for not being able to stop her death. I have done nothing but let you down since the moment you were conceived. For that I am sorrier than you can ever begin to know. I know it's hard for you to believe considering the way I have treated you but I feel I have to say it. I have loved you since the moment Lily told me she was pregnant with my child."

The parting lines of Dumbledore's will came to mind. He could almost hear the Headmaster's voice in his head as the tears streamed down his face. "_Be strong Harry and know that you hold a great power at your finger tips, that there is power in forgiveness, and that love is most powerful in the dark times."_ Harry sat thinking of what that meant. It had very little meaning when Professor McGonagall had first read it, but now, now it had a whole world of meaning. He knew just what it was telling him to do. "I forgive you."

Severus's head snapped up having not expected that response from his son. "Excuse me?"

"I forgive you. I understand why you did what you did." Harry stopped and sat up, looking his father right in the eyes. "I. Forgive. You."

"I don't know how you possibly can."

"Because someone recently reminded me that there is 'power in forgiveness' and I have a sinking suspicion that my mother would want me to."

"You truly are so very much like her. Her spirit, her bravery, her heart; she would be very proud of you I have no doubt."

"Everyone keeps saying that."

"I imagine they tell you often that you have her eyes."

"A whole lot more than I care to hear."

Severus nodded in understanding. To have people constantly tell you that you remind them of someone you've never had the chance to meet was daunting.

"I guess I have to keep this a secret. I mean that's why no one else knows and why I wasn't told until now."

"Actually if you want to stop hiding I'll support that decision."

"But if…"

"If the secret comes out then my position as spy is no longer something I would be capable of doing. Correct. Not much would make me happier than finally being free of that life."

"No one will believe it with the way I look."

"Probably not, but if you recall I mentioned an antidote to the original potion. It's difficult to make, though not nearly as difficult as the original potion. It would require a drop of your blood and one of mine."

"Blood magic is dangerous."

"Yes it is. The process of changing back to the form your body would have had is painful. Mind numbingly so. What few accounts there are of people taking it liken it to being held under the cruciatus for days on end. There are noted occurrences of the person going mad from the pain. Others of the potion not even working making no change in the person's appearance at all. It's not a perfect remedy but it does work most of the time even if it is a bit brutal."

"Can you brew it?"

"Does a phoenix sing?"

Harry smiled. "Would you brew it?"

"If you really want it yes."

"Hermione would probably want to watch."

"As would Draco I'm sure if given the chance to see it made."

"Do you mind if I take some time to think about it?"

"Not at all. I would prefer you did in fact."

Harry nodded. "How do we do this?"

"Do what Harry?"

"Become family?"

"I fear I do not know. The closest I've ever been to having a true family of my own has both ended poorly at my hands. I pushed Lily away and then killed the only person who's ever treated my like a son."

"Will the Order be okay if you stop spying?"

"We would suffer from it I'm sure, but not enough to make a difference I fear. The end is drawing near no matter what position I play. Any information I could glean would give the order at best a few moments warning. The Dark Lord isn't stupid enough to announce a time and date for his last battle with you even to his commanders. He's far too paranoid to not expect that each of them are out to steal his glory."

"You'll be in danger if you just stop."

"I've always been in danger."

"Won't he hunt you down if you quit going when he calls?"

"It would take him weeks to realize I'm doing it on purpose. The nature of my job as his 'spy into the Order' has always given me some leeway. After all I couldn't always go when he called if I didn't want my position to be discovered. He's really a rather large fool for not realizing before now that I've been playing him all along. But to answer you question I would be hunted once he figured it out."

"And if he finds out about me?"

"It changes nothing. He already wants you dead although you scare him. He sees in you the potential to be his ruin. Though for all that it scares him, it encourages him more to seek you out and end you. Your birthright would change nothing at this point past giving me just cause to stop spying for the Order."

"What about Draco?"

"What about him. He has known for slightly more than a few hours about the situation."

"You told the Order you had taken him in."

"I have. His father disowned him. He did nothing wrong. He was turned out of his own home for not being able to kill. I won't abandon him to the fates."

Harry shook his head. "I didn't mean you should. I meant what does he have to say about this, you and I being family."

"Nothing to me. I do believe he's probably as shocked by the revelation as you are. However if you wish to know his opinion I suggest you ask him."

The two sat silently for a few moments as the candles flickered, casting shadows across the floor of the room. "Where will you and Draco go?"

"Go?"

"Well you're still wanted by the Aurors. Professor McGonagall already said the evidence can't be given to them till the war is finished. Shackelbolt and Moody agreed. You can't just wander around London. So where are you going to go?"

"Who said I was going anywhere?"

"No one. I just didn't figure you would want to stay here."

"Honestly I haven't thought about it. Staying here is the most reasonable option. I can't return to Spinner's End because as you note I'm still a wanted criminal. I can't return to Hogwarts for the same reason. No offence to Minerva but that cottage of hers isn't large enough for two people much less three."

"Three?"

"I have missed many years with you. I do not wish to miss any more if that is acceptable to you."

Harry nodded his head a bit more enthusiastically than Severus had expected. "It would make the most sense to remain here. You have a home established here. I have my own rooms and lab here as well. There is room for Draco without forcing anyone out of their beds to make room for him. Though as the home is yours I guess the decision is yours. Where do you want to go?"

"Here sounds good."

"Are you sure? I seem to recall Arthur mentioning some reluctance to be here. I'm assuming you're still dealing with Black's passing. If remaining here is too painful we can seek other accommodations."

"It was bad when I first visited after…after you know. But I'm okay now. As long as I avoid his room and the attic I'm okay."

"Then it's settled. We stay here."

"When do we tell everyone?"

"That's entirely up to you Harry. I would understand if you went and found Mr. and Miss Weasley and Miss Granger to inform them immediately. I would also understand if you told no one. This has to be your call Harry."

"I think I would like to tell them sooner rather than later. You're right I would like to tell my friends right away, in the morning at the latest. The rest of the Order we can tell at dinner tomorrow. Almost everyone comes in for dinner now."

"Tomorrow it is then." Severus rose from the chair he had been seated in. "Harry I would ask one thing of you. Please try to give Draco a chance. For all intense and purpose I feel he is as much my responsibility as are you are, very much as a second son to me. In a way he always has felt that way to me as he has always been my godson. I would prefer if my 'sons' could be in the same room without hexing one another all the time."

Harry nodded. "I can do that if he can."

"I'm sure he can. He's changed. He's not the boy you went to school with."

"Yeah I kind of noticed when he let Molly hug him. He would never have allowed that before."

Severus smirked. "No he wouldn't have. He would have had something very sharp to say to her in the past. It's a wonderful change for him."

"I do believe we have missed dinner. Would you care to join me? I'm sure we can find your friends along the way if you wish to tell them."

Harry hopped up off the bed and followed the dark-haired man out of the room. He had made up his mind; tomorrow he would ask Severus to brew the potion. It was time to be whoever he truly was.


	6. Emotions on the Rocks

**Emotions on the Rocks**

_**A/N: **My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please._

**_Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. _**

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS**

Harry stared at the page of the open tome in his lap. It seemed like he had been reading the same page for ages. In truth he had. He hadn't flipped a page in half an hour or more. He had read the page countless times, but every time he reached the end he found he couldn't remember a single thing he had read and once again started over at the top of the page.

For the first time in weeks the house was all but deserted save for a small group of men that never left. Severus was in his lab, presumably brewing something the Order was currently in need of, Draco was probably in his room reading or sleeping (it's all he seemed to do outside of eating since he had arrived), and that just left himself sitting in the library of number twelve Grimwald Place attempting for the hundredth time to read the next chapter of Dark Objects and their Curses.

He had found the book earlier that week among the masses of other ancient tomes in the Black family library. It was the first in a long string of boring books with even more boring titles that seemed to offer up the first solid lead on Horcruxes. But try as he might he just couldn't seem to concentrate on what he was reading. His mind was elsewhere. More specifically it was on _someone_ else. His father…

It was hard to believe it had been two weeks since the largest secret of his life had been revealed to him and to his friends and the members of the Order. Severus Snape, master of Potions, former Death Eater, current Spy for the Order of the Phoenix, pseudo-adoptive father to one Draco Malfoy, was his father. His real, living, breathing, cold, distant, aloof, easy to anger, quick to judge, stubborn, caring, seemingly loving, overtly worried father.

The news had come as both a surprise and a welcome relief. Finally after so many years with no family he had a father; a man whom by definition should love him, care for him, worry for and over him. The knowledge that his mother had loved his father went far to temper the shock and awe factor that came along with the knowledge. The memory of Professor Dumbledore's words to him in his will went far to soothing the indignant anger of being abandoned to the Dursley's for so many years and for years of cruel biting remarks for the glowering potions master. He had taken the news rather well in his personal opinion. Sure the conversation had started off bitter and cold, but by the end both of them had ended up in tears that Harry knew were tears of relief and joy for both himself and his newly gained father.

They spent the next several hours in the kitchen talking and eating. To the few members of the Order and other assorted house guests that had wandered in during this 'bonding' experience it had confused and bewildered them. After all none but three knew what had changed between the two dark haired men at that point. Harry smiled to himself thinking of the first true conversation he had ever had with Severus. It almost seemed dream-like in retrospect.

At first he had been certain that he would ask the potion master to brew the antidote to the paternity altering potion first thing the next morning; before he would even tell his friends of the new development even. He was determined to accept this change in the fullest way possible. He had gone to bed that night confident that the next morning he would make the request that would release his true visage to the world forever. But like most things in life a few hours and the new light of day can change anyone's mind. The memory of the cruciatus curse and the pain it inflicted clouded his mind after a typical dream memory. Severus…his father, had warned him that the antidote often caused pain that intense. Now that he had time to think on it, he wasn't sure he wanted to go through that just for the sake of how he looked. Father or no, he wasn't sure if what he looked like truly mattered or not. If he admitted to himself his own opinion on the matter he would say yes it mattered some, if only from the stance of morbid curiosity. What was he suppose to look like all these years? Would he have his father's straight, oily black hair or his mother's vibrant red waves? Should he be taller or was his height closer to that of his mothers? Were his eyes supposed to be his mother's emerald green or his father's obsidian? He admitted the questions plagued him every time he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror; so much so he avoided looking in the loo mirror at all costs.

The other thing he didn't know that he grudgingly admitted to himself was he didn't know if his appearance bothered his father. Truthfully his father hadn't spoken of it. Harry did suspect his father never paid any heed to his own appearance. He wasn't the vainest person after all. For a man that clearly didn't suffer time and thought for his own appearance would he, does he, suffer thoughts on his son's?

Harry sat so lost in thought he never heard the footfalls that heralded Hermione's entrance into the dimly lit room. "So how long have you been on that page today?"

Startled Harry looked up at his best friend. "Huh?"

"That page? How long have you been trying to read it? If I'm not mistaken that is the same page you spent three hours reading and rereading yesterday before you finally gave up and went to bed.."

Harry blushed knowing she was right. "I…uh…I don't really know, a few hours maybe."

She laughed as she sat down next to him on the small overstuffed leather couch. "Well do tell."

Harry gave her a confused look. "Tell what?"

"Tell me what is on you mind because until you tell me you're never actually going to understand what you are reading. It might as well be Greek the way you're staring at that page. Since we actually need to know that information if we ever hope to find and destroy the Horcruxes so you should just come out and tell me."

Harry shook his head and denied her claim. "There is nothing on my mind. I just can't concentrate."

"You can't concentrate because something is on your mind; something that if I had to guess has something to do with you and your father. Come on Harry, just tell me. I'm sure it can't be all that bad. All you need is someone to listen to your thought process I'm sure…You'll feel better if you do."

Harry nodded. Shutting the book, he sat it on the low table in front of them. "Okay, but not here." She nodded and followed his up to his room when he moved up from his seat and headed out of the room up and up the stairs to the room at the end of the second floor hall that he shared with Ron.

Harry shut the door behind them after taking one final look down the hall to make sure no one, more specifically Severus or Draco weren't around.

"Well are you going to tell me or do I have to play twenty questions to get it out of you?"

"No questions. Just listen okay."

"Of course Harry."

Harry took a seat on his bed across from the identical one that Hermione sat on. "You remember me telling you that the reason I looked like James was because mom had Snape..."

Hermione cut him off. "He's your dad Harry. You can call him that you know."

Harry rolled his eyes at her. "I know that. I do call him that sometimes. I even think of him as 'dad' in my head. It just doesn't always make it out my mouth okay. I am trying alright."

"I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't push. I'm sorry I interrupted."

"Thank you. Okay where was I? Oh yeah the beginning," he snapped.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but think to herself that Harry had become noticeably more sarcastic the more time he spent with Severus.

"…so anyway I told you about the potion_ Dad _brewed that made me look like James. Anyway what I didn't tell everyone was that _Dad _says there is an antidote to it."

Hermione sat up, clearly interested in this nameless potion and its antidote.

"The antidote would strip away anything that has made me look like James all these years. I could look like I was always suppose to if I took it."

Hermione was enraptured. "So do you want to take it or not?"

"That's just the problem. I can't decide if I do or don't. When he first told me about it, I was certain I was going to ask him to brew it. But then I remembered what he said about its side effects and I changed my mind. But I can't help but wonder what I am supposed to look like. Every time I see myself in the mirror I see this face I've always had but in the same breath it seems like a lie."

"It is a lie Harry," she replied softly.

"I know that! That just makes it worse. I start thinking about what I should look like. Do I still have black hair or do I have moms red? Is it all greasy and straight like Snape, sorry Dad's? Is my nose hooked like his? Should I be taller than I am or am I just this short from years of not eating properly? It's one question after another Mione. They won't go away. No matter what I'm doing there are constantly questions. I can't look at him without wondering what he wants me to do. Does he want me to take it? If he does, does he want it so I'll look like him or so I won't look like James Potter?"

"Have you thought of asking him Harry? I'm sure he would talk to you about it. You seem to talk about lots of other things lately."

"I can't. What if he thinks I'm being petty or vain about the whole mess? I don't want him to think I'm not asking him to make it because I don't want to have any of his less desirable features."

"Harry you're over thinking this."

"I'm over thinking? Well there are two words I never expected to hear out of your mouth," he shot back.

"Harry James Potter Snape that was just uncalled for." Hermione took a deep breath to calm down before continuing. "What I meant is he won't think you're vain. At least no more than any other teenager is anyway. I'm sure he would want you take it for both reasons. Think on it. What would it be like to have a son that first of all doesn't look a drop like you? Not one tiny feature that you can claim your child got from you. All parents want their children to look like them, its human nature at its finest Harry.

Then to make matters worse your child looks like the spitting image of the same person that ended up marrying the very person you've always loved. Not just that, but the fact that he looks like one of a group of people who always treated you so poorly. The way you told it your father was the butt end of most of the Marauder's pranks. It would be like you having a child with Ginny and then dosing it to look like Malfoy. If you sit there and tell me that wouldn't bother you Harry, then you would be lying and we both know it."

"I…yeah, okay it would still bother me."

"Of course it would. So stop worrying about what he wants because clearly we both know what he must want and decide what you want."

Harry picked at a fray in the quilt on the bed. "I know what I want I think," Harry said quietly.

"I think you do too," she said with a half smile that made her eyes twinkle in a fashion that reminded Harry greatly of the Headmaster.

Harry sat silently leaned back against the headboard of the rickety twin bed. "He says it hurts…"

"I would imagine so. Your body very well might have to grow new bone or extra muscle. I can only imagine that would be painful. Much like skele-gro I would assume."

"He said cruciatus."

"That's not at all comforting. It's no wonder you have been having trouble deciding. Clearly the fear of feeling that much pain again is impacting your judgment. As well it should I might add. But Harry some of the best things in life are very painful either emotionally or physically, sometimes both. So it's a matter of deciding if you are willing to face that pain to look like your father or not."

Harry nodded in understanding. It was the dream that had changed his mind originally. He had no doubt about that. Maybe now was the time to ask. If woman could voluntarily submit to hours of pain to have a baby then do it again to have more he could face a few hours…or days' worth of pain to look like his father. "Walk with me to ask?"

She smiled and nodded.

**HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS**

The blonde haired teen looked up from his plate looking at the dark haired teen across from him. "So you asked him to make it?"

Harry nodded. "He seemed…"

"Less glower about it?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Draco nodded. "You'll get used to it eventually."

"It?"

"Severus's non-emotive emotions. You know, telling one glare from another."

Harry quirked a brow at Draco. "Um yeah sure." Harry pushed his carrots around his plate idly. "So he _was_ happy with me for asking him to make it?"

Draco nodded as he put a forkful of roast beef in his mouth.

"Good," he replied to no one in particular.

Just that moment Molly bustled back into the kitchen of Grimwald Place. "You dears need anything else? More roast or a fresh cuppa?"

"No ma'am," they replied in kind.

"Well then. Just as well. Have either of you seen Severus or Remus? Have either of them be in to eat?"

"No Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied.

Molly swished her wand about and set a new pot of water to boil for tea as she set to dishing up two fresh plates of roast beef and vegetables. "Well then, if they won't come to dinner, then dinner shall go to them." Bustling about the kitchen she set both men's food on trays to carry it up to their separate hide-a-ways. "I do declare. The two of them have done nothing but avoid one another since Severus came back. Honestly you would think the two of them were still firsties at Hogwarts they way they act sometimes."

Harry chuckled and Draco smiled behind his tea cup at the matronly woman as she set out with two trays floating ahead of her.

The two continued to eat in silence for some time. The only noise in the room was the sound of the silverware against the china.

"Are you going to watch him make it?" Harry broke the silence.

Draco looked up. "Watch who, make what?"

"The potion Severus is making for me. Are you going to watch him make it?"

Draco's eye's lit up. "You think he'll let me?"

"You're asking me this?" Draco nodded. "Yeah actually I do. I suspect he'll let Hermione too if she asked." Draco looked a bit skeptical. "He said as much when we were first talking about it."

Draco nodded in understanding. "Did he say when he was going to start it?"

"Mr. Weasley is supposed to be bringing home the last of the specialty ingredients today for it. I think he plans to start it tonight, but I don't know for certain."

"What sort of specialty ingredients?"

"He didn't say. But Mr. Weasley took a vial of polyjuice potion base with him when he left this morning."

Draco's eyes shot wide open. "Knockturn."

"What?"

"Think on it Potter."

"Snape."

Again Draco's eyes shot open. "Is that so?"

Harry glared at his blonde companion then relaxed. "Okay so not in public obviously, at least not while he's still spying for the Order, but in private yeah."

Draco nodded.

"So why do you think he had to go into Knockturn?"

"Come on Snape? Certainly you can't think that a man like Mr. Weasley could just walk into Knockturn looking like himself without disguising himself. Clearly that's why Severus gave him polyjuice potion. So he could get in and out of the Knockturn without raising suspension."

Harry looked curiously at Draco. "You got all of that out of me mentioning one tiny vial of potion?"

"It's a Slytherin thing Potter," catching the look in Harry's eyes he quickly amended himself, "sorry Snape. You wouldn't understand. You're as Gryffindor as they come. I wouldn't expect you to know anything at all about being Slytherin."

"Clearly you don't either."

"And just what is that suppose to mean?"

"I was nearly sorted into Slytherin house."

"No bloody way Snape. You wouldn't have lasted a day in Slytherin house."

"The hat wanted me in Slytherin. I refused it. 'Anything but Slytherin' were my exact words."

Draco's eyes widened in shock, "well that certainly explains a few things."

"Now it's my turn to ask what you mean."

"I lied. You have more than a few traits that would have led you well in Slytherin. You're a sneaky git if the rumors of all your night time escapades around the castle are to be believed. You clearly disregard the rules as if they don't apply to you. I would be willing to bet all the money my father has in Gringotts that you had to talk your friends into joining you on your little adventures because they didn't want to break the rules, so you can check a mark next to manipulative on the Slytherin traits list."

Harry laughed. "Thought on this much have you?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Draco replied with his patented smirk.

"You're a git you know?" Harry said with a laugh.

"So are you Potter-Snape, so are you."

Harry stood up from his chair and moved his empty plate and cup to the sink were Molly had charmed a brush to wash the dishes when she was out of the room.

Draco followed suit without so much as a hint of disdain at having to tend behind his own mess. The past months following the headmaster's death really had changed him.

"So I'm tired of reading through that mountain of dark arts books for information that is nonexistent. What do you say to a game of chess?"

"Oh please, as if you could beat me?"

"Well I wasn't planning on staking the house on it or anything. I'm sure I can at least give you a good game though. But if you really want a challenge, you should ask Ron to play when he comes back over. I've never been able to beat him. No one but Bill has been able to in years that I know of."

"He couldn't beat me either." Draco thought on it. "But yeah, if you want to get beaten who am I to deny you. I'm bored with reading myself. There isn't much of anything to do when you're hiding out."

"It's better than being beaten and tossed in a cupboard," Harry mumbled to himself as they walked into the library where the chess set was set up.

"What was that?" Draco asked.

"Nothing. I…uh…it was nothing."

"Suit yourself." Draco shrugged in indifference. "I'm going first."

"Fine."

**HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS **

"Harry, are you certain you want to do this? I will not feel any less of you if you don't." Severus sat watching his son sitting on the stool in the dark lab.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to do it."

"You know the risks."

"You've warned me enough. I can take it."

"You're taking the threat of pain and it not even working too inconsequentially for me not to question you Harry."

"You made it didn't you?"

"Obviously."

"Then it will work and pain I can deal with. It's not like I haven't experienced the cruciatus before. I got through that just fine, I can handle this too."

Severus nodded instantly catching glimpses of accidentally projected memories of beatings at his uncle's hand and the cruciatus applied by the Dark Lord. "Then there are only two things left to add. Have you eaten at all this morning?"

"No. You said to check with you first to see if it was done or not before I did."

"Very well then."

Severus picked up the double edged dagger from the work top and cut a then gash across the palm of his own right hand. Squeezing his hand tight, he held his hand over the steaming cauldron beside them till one drop of dark crimson blood fell from his fisted hand into the bubbling potion. Quickly be wrapped a piece of white bandage around his hand.

"Hold out your hand."

Harry stuck out his left hand a bit more bravely than he truthfully felt. Severus flipped the dagger over to the second side of the blade, still clean and shining brightly, and slid it quickly across Harry's palm. "Squeeze your hand into a fist."

Harry did as he was told, feeling the warm blood around his finger tips. Severus guided his son's hand over the cauldron with his uninjured hand, holding it there till a drop of Harry's blood fell into the boiling cauldron.

Suddenly the boiled stopped as if the fire beneath it had been snuffed out. Severus grabbed a glass stirring rod from the work top and stirred the potion exactly six times clockwise and two counter clockwise. At the end of the last stir the potion began boiling furiously again and changed colors from the dark red it had been to crystal clear. "It's done."

Harry sat silently as Severus decanted the potion into a large glass vial. "You have one hour to drink this. After that, it's worthless slop. Head up to your room, I'll be along with it in a moment."

"Okay."

Harry started out of the room. "I might suggest that you put your pajamas back on. You'll want to be as comfortable as possible while you're going through the change."

"Yes sir."

Ten minutes later a knock sounded on Harry's door. "Come in."

Hermione opened the door and walked in. Harry smiled. "You're back."

"For the rest of the summer," she said with a smile. "Mum and Dad decided to go to France for vacation. I asked if I could stay here since you decided to take the potion."

"In about five minutes actually."

"It's finished?"

Harry held up his neatly bandaged palm. "Just. Dad is bringing it up in a few moments."

"Wow….I asked him if I could stay the rest of the summer with you guys."

Harry looked up. "You did? I assumed you would have asked Remus since he's here all the time as well."

"I did first, but he suggested it might do your dad good if he had to act like one towards your friends. Scariest letter I've ever had to write in my life let me tell you."

Harry laughed then sobered up. "Are you sure you want to be here for this? Dad says it could get bad, really bad. I'm not sure you'll want to hang around to watch it."

"Yes I'm sure. He rather reminded me of that when he agreed to let me stay. I plan to be right by your side as long as you'll both let me."

Harry smiled and hugged her. "Thanks 'Mione."

"What are friends for?"

A cough interrupted the two. Severus and Draco entered the room as the two broke apart from their embrace Harry blushed at being caught hugging his best friend. "If you two are quite finished, it's time."

Harry climbed in the bed, and pulled the covers up over his lap. His father handed him the vial. He drank it down, if nothing else it didn't taste as bad one might think. It certainly didn't seem to have that air of oily darkness around it that his father has warned of more than once in the past four weeks while he and his friends had been researching information on the dark arts in hopes of finding out about the Horcruxes. Blood magic was dark, but this certainly didn't feel or taste like darkness to him. "It didn't taste as badly as I expected it would."

Severus raised a curious brow. "How so?"

"Sure it tasted awful but it didn't taste _wrong_. If that makes any sense."

Severus nodded and almost hinted at the barest smile before slipping back into his mask of indifference. "That is good. It means that both of us truly gave the blood willingly."

Hermione and Draco understood innately what that meant. "So it wasn't dark magic after all."

"Not in the actual since of it, no. By the ministry's definition however it still was."

Harry sat back against the headboard. His stomach was rolling; the underside of his tongue began to tingle and his mouth water. For the life of him he needed to chuck up.

Hermione noticed him beginning to look green. "Harry, are you okay."

Harry shook his head rapidly and clamped his hand over his mouth as he bolted from the room dashing for the loo.

Draco grimaced as the sounds of Harry being sick reverberated through the hall. "Well that didn't take long."

"Indeed. Miss Granger if you would; fetch a glass of cool water and a basin from the kitchen. I dare say it won't be long till moving out of the bed will be nearly impossible for him." Severus left the room to go check on his son.

Severus found Harry flushed from the exertion of heaving stomach acid endlessly into the toilet. His head was lying on his arm as he slumped against the toilet. "Do you feel like heading back to bed?"

Harry nodded and spoke weakly, "I don't think I can get there by myself."

Severus nodded and lifted his son to his feet. "Lean against me, I'll walk you back."

Harry did as he was told, wrapping his arm around his father's waist and held on as tightly as he could as the older man walked him back down the hall and into his room. He flopped onto the bed and let his father cover him with the tattered handmade quilt.

"How are you feeling Harry?"

"Hurts. I hadn't expected that to happen so fast."

"I told you, you weren't taking this seriously enough."

Harry gave a weak laugh, "noted."

Hermione reentered the room with a glass of water in one hand and a metal basin in another. She sat the basin on the bedside table and passed Harry the glass of water. "Hopefully that will help some."

Harry thanked her and took a tentative sip of the cool water. It felt like heaven against his heavy tongue.

**HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS**

Several hours later the few occupants of number twelve Grimwald Place were all thanking the gods for silencing charms. Remus paced the sitting room from end to end and back again. Molly had taken up her usual place in the kitchen baking endlessly in effort to not think of the ordeal that the young man one floor up was enduring. Arthur had returned to the Burrow an hour before to check on Ron and Ginny more to escape the oppressive feel of the Order Headquarters than out of worry for his youngest two children. Draco and Hermione were sitting together in the hall outside Harry's door. Hermione was tossing an everlasting super bouncy ball against the opposite wall, catching it, and then tossing it again. Draco had a book in his lap attempting to read the advanced transfiguration text with no luck.

"Gods, Granger could you please stop that? That infernal noise is getting on my last nerve."

Hermione rolled her eyes and tossed the ball at the wall again with a little more force than she had been. One the return Draco reached out and snatched the ball out of the air. "There, problem solved."

"Give me that back Malfoy."

"No. For the past two hours you've tossed that bloody thing at the same spot on that wall. I get it, you're frustrated that Severus won't let us back in, but for the sake of the Gods must you take it out on that poor wall and my mind?"

Hermione hung her head. "Sorry," she mumbled.

He handed the pink ball back to her. "It's fine, just stop doing it. Why don't you try to read something or go for a walk or something, anything? Clearly sitting here is driving you round the twist and it's taking me along for the ride."

"Well excuse me for being worried for one of my oldest and best friends. I don't even see why you're sitting here. You don't care one way or the other about what Harry is in there feeling. He could roll over and die and it would probably make your day."

Draco took a deep breath to calm his quickly raging temper before he said something to her to destroy the tentative truce they had come to in the week following the 'big announcement.' "Look Granger I understand you have no reason to trust me. If I were you I wouldn't do it either. But for the sake of the fact that my Godfather saved me from one hell of an awful fate and for the fact that he has said in his own way that I am as much his son as Harry is I am doing my level best to not treat you the way I always have. More importantly I'm trying to live up to the only expectations I've ever truly wanted to live up to, his.

Severus asked Harry and me both to make an attempt at ending the hatred between us; to try to be at the very least civil to one another. To do that I can't very well continue to treat you the way I was raised to can I?

Look I didn't grow up having the best home life. My parents didn't give a fuck about me past me living up to the fucking Malfoy name. Frankly now I've been given a very rare second chance at having a father figure who actually gives a bloody fuck about me and a person that I think I could actually grow to consider a brother. Excuse the fuck out of me if I don't want to toss that off like yesterday's stale bread."

Hermione hung her head and blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you or them." She didn't have the desire to call him for cursing a blue streak. "I don't know what Harry or for that matter Professor Snape may have told you, but Harry's life outside of Hogwarts wasn't ever that great either. To say his aunt and uncle hated him wouldn't be a stretch in the slightest. They hated magic and took it out on him. He grew up with people that knew of magic but constantly told him it wasn't real even when they knew he was a wizard. They worked him harder than a house elf, gave him his cousin's cast offs for clothes that were always miles to large for him, fed him just enough to keep him alive, and locked him in a cupboard till someone scared them enough to let him sleep in his cousin's second bedroom the summer after first year. If anyone can understand the trials of home life and wanting nothing more than a family that loves you its Harry."

Tears were streaming down her red cheeks. "It took us years to discover that his uncle would beat him when he didn't do his chores fast enough, if he didn't stay out of sight when he wasn't wanted, etcetera. He was smart enough at eleven to know that he couldn't tell them his parents had left him the Potter family fortune because his aunt and uncle would have taken it for themselves and left him in the same place he had always been….with nothing."

She swiped at the tears that stained her face with the back of her hand and continued on. "Then he has this maniac constantly trying to kill him. No less than four times to date and we know there are more to come. Every time he's managed to pull through on pure nerve and dumb luck. I'm tired of worrying that my best friend is going to end up dead. Now he's in there in so much pain he's screamed himself mute all for the sake of being closer to the family he's finally gotten and still in the back of my mind I hear his dad warning me that the potion has killed in the past."

Draco pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket and passed it to her as she sobbed. She continued to sob as she wrung the cloth in her worried hands. Not knowing what else to do he wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulders. "He'll be fine. There is no way Severus would let him die. Soon he'll be up and about and begging to go out and fly. We'll all be good and sick of him all too soon."

She didn't speak only leaned closer into him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He ran his hand down her arm in the only gesture of comfort he could think of. "It'll all be okay. You'll see…," he whispered as he leaned his chin on the top of her head. "It'll all be okay."

That's just how Severus found them when he stepped out of Harry's room for the first time in several hours. Hermione was wrapped in Draco's right arm asleep on his shoulder. Draco was reading silently from the book in his left hand. "You could have moved her you know."

Draco looked up at the sound of his Godfather's voice. "I…um…"

"There is no need to make a show of yourself. Obviously Miss Granger was a bit distraught and you comforted her. I should be telling you good show or something of the like for finally ending that needless grudge you have with her."

Draco's mouth dropped open and snapped shut repeatedly in his loss for words. Severus stooped and picked Hermione's sleeping form up into his arms. "Go open her door."

Draco hopped up from his seat on the floor and quickly moved down the hall to room that Hermione and Ginny shared. Opening the door, he stepped out of the way as Severus walked into the room. Slowly he lowered her onto the bed and pulled the hand woven throw blanket from the foot of the bed and laid it over her. Slipping back out of the room into the hall he gave a small smile to his godson. "You may tell her you moved her if you think it will better your cause."

Once again Draco found himself at a loss for words. "Excuse me. I don't have a cause."

"Of course you do. I've been watching you for weeks. Now that this irrational feud has ended between you two you can attempt to make advances towards Miss Granger. You know Harry has no interest in her outside of seeing her as a sister figure. Much the way he sees Miss Weasley, however he doesn't see that himself yet. I do believe your only obstacle, as small as it might be, is her waning affections for Mr. Weasley. Surly you can overcome that," Severus said with a smirk. "Join me in the kitchen?"

"Yes sir."

Severus and Draco walked down to the kitchen in silence. The moment they walked into the kitchen Molly flew at them like a wild harpy. "How's dear Harry? Can I get you some tea and a biscuit? Perhaps you would like some soup. I made chicken noodle and vegetable beef. Harry likes both. I thought he might like something light to eat when he comes around."

Severus took a seat at the table, "tea and a bowl of the vegetable soup would be nice. Thank you."

"And you Draco dear?"

"Chicken noodle for me please."

Molly set off dishing up servings of soup and cups of tea. "Where is Hermione? I haven't seen her since early this morning before Harry took the potion."

Severus cleared his throat. "I asked her and Draco to go out when he got so bad. She fell asleep sitting in the hall. Draco moved her to her room." He gave his godson a quick wink and bent over his bowl of soup as if he were a starving man who hadn't seen food in ages.

"Well wasn't that just the sweetest thing dear. If she wakes up, be sure to send her down to eat. The poor dear is too much like my Ginny. Neither of them eat nearly enough. Honestly the opinion of girls today. Worrying over how they look. How fat they are. The lot of them are too skinny if you ask me."

Draco couldn't resist a laugh. Neither Ginny nor Hermione were what one would consider too skinny. They certainly didn't qualify as count your rib skinny. Not that he had ever seen either of them without a shirt on, but he had seen enough women naked or near enough so that he knew when a girl fit the too skinny category. Frankly he liked girls with curves himself. Not Bulstrode heavy curves, but nice soft hour glass curves, Hermione curves.

Draco nearly choked on his soup at that mental thought. This was leading no where good…

**HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS**

Hermione woke just as the sun was beginning its descent deep below the horizon. Startled to find herself tucked into her bed she found she had rested quite well considering the current circumstances. Quickly she righted her jumper and stepped out of the room in search of food. She had woken up amazingly hungry only to remember she hadn't eaten since Mr. Weasley had picked her up from her parents. Amazed to not find Draco in the hall outside Harry's door, she resisted the urge to poke her head in to see if Professor Snape had allowed him back into Harry's room. Instead she paid a quick trip to the loo before heading to the kitchen in search of sustenance. The kitchen was empty; dishes cleaned and put away for the day save for two large pots of soup that sat on the magical stove under warming charms. Fishing a bowl from the cabinet she dished up a bowl of the vegetable beef soup. She gathered a glass from the cabinet and filled it with cool tap water. She took a seat at the table and began eating her soup.

Just as she was finishing her last bite the door swung open. Remus stood in the door looking tired but happy. "Hello Hermione."

"Hello Professor."

"Normally I would tell you not to call me that, but since I agreed to take the DADA job back that Minevra has offered me, that would be pointless."

"How is Harry?" Remus gave her a confused look. "I've been asleep."

"Ah. Severus came down a couple hours ago with Draco and ate dinner while Harry was asleep. He didn't say if the potion appeared to be working just that the pain had seemed to peak and had begun to wane off. He gave Harry a dreamless sleep potion and managed to get him to hold it down long enough for it to put him to sleep. They went right back up after they finished eating. Past that I know virtually nothing."

Hermione nodded and thanked Remus before placing her bowl in the sink and refilling her water glass. She headed straight back up to Harry's room without so much as a single stop between the kitchen and his room. She knocked softly on the door. Draco opened the door and slipped out in the hall, pulling the door shut behind him. "You're up."

"I am," she said with a smile.

"Have you eaten or did you just wake up?"

"I've eaten. Remus said you and Professor Snape had earlier." He nodded. "How's he doing?"

"Better. He slept almost as long as you did."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "He's awake now?" Draco nodded and smiled. "They why am I standing out here?"

"Because Severus asked me to warn you that it worked."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. "It did?"

"Did you ever have any real doubt that it wouldn't?"

She shook her head. "No I didn't."

"Anyway he's still in a load of pain and Severus thinks he will be for a few days yet but he thinks the bulk of the changes have already taken place. So be warned he looks different. Way different. Oh and no touching! He screams every time Severus checks his pulse."

She nodded her head and waited for Draco to open the door. Pushing the door open Draco led the way into the room. Harry lay curled on his side in his twin bed against the far wall. Suddenly the bed looked entirely too small for him. He had grown taller clearly. That had to be painful in ways she didn't begin to want to imagine.

"'Mione. Have a good nap?"

She smiled. Leave it to Harry to ask about how someone else was when he was in so much pain he couldn't move without screaming. "Yeah I did and a lovely bowl of Mrs. Weasley vegetable beef soup that you love so much."

He tried to laugh but winced visibly in pain from the action. "It was good."

Hermione took the seat closest to his bedside that his father had vacated when she entered the room claiming the need to gather more potions from his lab to aid Harry. Draco slipped out not moments after she sat down. "It worked."

"It better have. It hurt worse than being buggered by a hippogriff."

She laughed a hearty laugh. "What would you know about being buggered by anything Mr. Potter? And can I say ugh? Could you have picked a more vulgar image?"

"Clearly that's Mr. Snape now and yes I'm sure I could have if I had tried."

She smiled. "Yes it is. Even a blind man could see how much you look like your father now Harry."

"So that's oily and pale for me. Geez 'Mione you didn't have to call me ugly," he teased lightly.

She blushed. "I would never. I happen to find Professor Snape rather dashing in a dark dangerous sort of way," she said. Her face was blushed as bright as a tomato.

"Okay that is just more information than I needed."

They sat quietly for a few moments. "How are you feeling really?"

"In pain mostly."

"That's not what I meant. I meant how do you feel about the changes?"

He muffled a scream into a pillow as he rolled over onto his back. "Honestly?"

"Of course."

He smiled. "Wonderful. Dad helped me sit up when I finally felt up to it after I woke up. He charmed the door into a mirror so I could see. I was a bit surprised. I expected all the bad traits of his I guess."

"You didn't get any of them. Okay you might want to become a bit friendlier with the shampoo than you normally do, but otherwise all is well."

He smiled again. "Dad thinks I'm taller than Remus now. Imagine that. I never thought I would get anywhere near that tall. He thinks I would have been taller if my aunt and uncle had fed me properly."

"He's probably correct."

"So what do you think?"

"I think you look brilliant. You certainly have more of your mum in you that I ever remember you having. It's not just her eyes anymore. Your whole facial structure looks like hers."

"Dad said so too. His exact words were 'it's like seeing her alive all over again.'"

Hermione smiled sadly. "That must be painful for him."

"I think it's more a bitter sweet sort of thing. Because clearly he gets his own desire to have his son look like him. He couldn't deny me if he tried."

Hermione laughed. "No he really couldn't."

Harry changed the topic on her. "So what is this I here about you falling asleep on Draco's shoulder?"

Hermione blushed instantly remembering their tiff that had resulted in him wrapping his arms around her attempting to comfort her. "Um, well yeah, I guess. We had a bit of a spat. I ended up crying and he um tried to calm me down. I guess I was a bit tired because I drifted off to sleep. The next thing I know I'm waking up in my room."

"So he put you to bed after you fell asleep on him."

"Apparently."

Harry smiled but said nothing. That could go places very nice for the two of them if they let it happen. Yes things were definitely looking up for Harry, his family, and friends. This change, as painful as it was, was only the beginning of good things to come. He could feel it.


	7. Quest for Change

**Living with My Misgivings**

**Part 7 of The Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please._

**_Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. _**

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

Harry stood in the doorway silently watching the scene play out in front of him. Hermione and Draco were in the same room on the same couch sitting peacefully without killing one another. He knew it was possible but the sight of it was bloody amazing.

She was sitting cross-legged on the old couch. Her tank top clung to her frame and the muggle jean shorts riding up her thighs just far enough to catch her seatmate's attention. Draco looked like a polar opposite in his usual grey slacks and oxford sitting next to her as if nothing had ever been any different.

She had charmed something she called an iPod that played muggle music in a way similar to his cousin's walkman had but without the CD. She was sitting with a dusty tome in her lap, iPod on, with the ear buds tucked in her ears. Her lips were moving as she read or was it the lyrics of the music she was listening to that she was silently saying? He wasn't sure. Her head bobbed in rhythm to the beat of the song she was listening to. Her small hand clutched in Draco's resting on the seat between them.

Remus walked up behind him and looked in the room before walking past with a grin on his face. Harry smiled one last time at his best friend and Draco before he followed the now graying man down into the basement kitchen of number 12 Grimwald Place.

"Hello Harry."

Harry smiled as he pulled a pitcher of pumpkin juice from the cold charmed cabinet. "Hi Moony."

"Couldn't resist watching them could you?"

Harry shook his head no as he poured himself a glass then silently offered Remus one.

"Yes please."

Harry poured a second glass and passed it to Remus before storing the jug back in the cold storage area. "They've been doing that every day since I started moving around."

Remus quickly swallowed the mouth full of juice before replying. "No they've been doing this since the day you took the potion. I'm fairly certain their heart to heart in the hall is to thank for their newly developed closeness."

Harry smiled sadly. "At least something good came out of me taking it then."

"What do you mean by that Harry?"

"It's nothing."

"Clearly it's not or you would never have made a statement like that. What did you mean?"

"It's nothing really Remus."

Remus studied the boy he considered the closest thing he would ever have to a son. The godchild of his former best friend; one time love, the adopted son of his other closet friend; James would be so proud of the man Harry's becoming, the son of his beloved Lily; the one who always treated him like he wasn't the odd one out…the son of a former enemy. "Harry something is bothering you so do us both a favor and tell me." Remus pulled his gaze away from his pseudo godson. "Whatever it is will be easier if you talk to someone. It doesn't have to be me. Talk to your dad, Hermione, or Draco if that works best for you. I'm certain any of them would love to hear whatever you need to say."

"No. No one would understand. It's really nothing really; just me being a bit selfish and petty when I really should get over myself and be thankful that I have a summer with family that isn't the Dursley's."

Remus frowned. "Words left unspoken often hurt the worst Harry. If something bothering you then talk to someone. Learn from everyone's mistakes Harry. Learn from mine and your fathers' or Hermione and Draco's. Not talking can be as harmful as saying something cruel."

Harry sighed and relented. "I think Sev," he sighed at once again nearly calling him by his given name instead of what he was. "I think Dad regrets me taking the potion."

Remus caught the bare movement of the kitchen door out of the corner of his eye. Someone was outside the door and had clearly heard what Harry had to say. Since there were only five people in the house and two of them where in that very room and two were occupied with one anther he was fairly certain he knew who had been on the other side or rather was still on the other side. Discreetly he tried to catch the scent of the person without Harry noticing but the scents of the five residents of Grimwald Place permeated the air in such strength that it was impossible to say if it was Severus for certain.

"Why do you say that Harry?"

"I don't know. He hasn't really said anything about it since I took the potion. It's been nearly a week and he hasn't said anything. I expected some bare comment about it from time to time but I've gotten nothing."

"So you think because he's not said anything in particular about it since the day you took the antidote that he regrets allowing you to take it or regrets brewing it so you could take it?"

Harry's eyebrows drew together in deep concentration. "Either…both….neither. That's just it, I don't know."

"Harry if there is one thing I can tell you about your father it's this, he doesn't regret things. Not this sort of thing at any rate. He doesn't regret telling you the truth or allowing you to take the potion. Don't get me wrong Severus Snape regrets plenty of things, more than a few are things to do with you and your childhood, but not for a second do I believe that he regrets allowing you to decide to look like him. He very well may regret that you had to go through such pain to achieve it. I know for certain he regrets not being able to tell you of your true parentage before now. But Harry he does not for one moment regret you opting to fully recognize you are his son." Remus drained the last of his juice before going on. "I also don't think that's what you're worried about. Nice cover but you and I both know Severus isn't an open person so I highly doubt you would take offence to him not speaking on such a private matter under his own compulsion. So cut to the heart of it Harry and tell me what's really bothering you."

Harry flustered. He had gotten used to Sirius reading him so quickly and easily but not to Remus. It always surprised him when the werewolf saw past him. "It's nothing."

"No Harry it's not."

Harry pushed back from the table and got up. "Really it's nothing." Harry fled the kitchen before Remus could continue to question him.

He made his way up to the main level, past the covered portrait of Sirius's mother, up the stairs to his room. Falling face down onto the bed he resisted the urge to scream into his pillow. It wasn't like he liked feeling this way and he certainly didn't want to share his feelings, least of all with anyone that resided within the house with him.

The summer's numerous changes didn't change the fact that he had a job to do. A job he had put off long enough. There were horcruxes to be found and they weren't finding themselves. He knew the first was destroyed for certain. The diary had been gone for several years now; destroyed by the poison in the basilisk fang deep within the Chamber of Secrets. There was the ring that had poisoned Professor Dumbledore…the ring that Harry blamed at least in part for his father having to kill his mentor though no one at all knew he felt that way and he wasn't ready to divulge it either. The locket he had gone to retrieve with the headmaster had been a fake. He had found the original already buried deep in a stash of "treasures" that Kreacher had hidden in basement that he had pilfered from the trash. Harry had turned the locket over to Remus and Kingsley the moment he had found it. He had managed to keep from telling them just what it was fairly easily. He had simply told them it felt wrong to him. Remus had said it was the darkness of the magic in the necklace and had set out straight away to destroy it. Less than a week after Harry had found the locket it was no more. Harry hadn't even asked what had been done to it. He didn't want to know. He didn't need to. All he needed to know was that the item was no more and the magic within it was gone hence to the ether.

There were still 4 more. Hufflepuff's cup he knew for certain but he had no location for it. He had hoped there might be some finial clues left by the headmaster in the memories he had left preserved but if there had it wasn't in the few he had been allowed to view.

The remaining three he had no clue to the location of or even what they were to begin with. He had some suspicions, more so after the past week's reading. Several of the books he had skimmed through had said it was possible to store pieces of the soul in living beings or creatures. Nagini seemed as likely a possibility as any if Voldemort had used something living. The only problem with this line of thinking was that if the creature died, so did the piece of the soul. At the very least Harry thought that if Voldemort had used a living host he wouldn't have kept it so near to him. It seemed like inviting destruction to him. He ruled it out as quickly as he had thought of it.

He had briefly given thought to items such as Godric's sword but discarded that after remember he felt nothing dark or malevolent about the sword at all when he had been forced to use it at the end of his second year. Something embedded with that much dark magic would feel dark. He would have known even then that something was wrong with it even if he didn't know what.

He knew for certain that Voldemort himself had to have retained one section of his soul in order to remain alive so the list went down from four to three for certain.

He had no other thoughts on possible items that could have been used. There, however, was one living host he was still questioning; himself. All the books had alluded to the process used to form a living horcrux. It wasn't a spell, not even a verbal ritual as far as he could tell. There only needed to be intent in heart and mind. How much intent or even the thought process one had to have in mind didn't seem to be clear but he knew enough to know it was possible for him to have been made into one during or after the act of killing one or both of Harry's parents. He could have possibly even accidentally been made into one if Voldemort had enough desire even with a passing thought as he had hurled the killing curse at his infant self.

It was that thought that scared him most. If he was the finial link in the seven object chain then he would have to die to kill the bastard. But that confused him greatly. If it was destined to kill him but couldn't do so without all the horcruxes destroyed first then it was impossible. A person doesn't just beat death even if he had miraculously done just that as an infant. He faced an impossible question that felt distinctly like being between a rock and a hard place.

Then there was his father. The man he had looked like less than a week. There was still residual pain as his body continued to allow the potion work removing the last vestiges of James Potter from his body's structure. But the pain was a small price to pay to have a real father, to have a family that didn't lock him under the stairs and refuse to feed him. It was a price he would willingly pay over and over again if it was what was needed to keep what he had gained. However that was not needed and he was grateful for it.

But still he had just gained a father. A father he had willingly forgiven for years of crude comments and even for his part in the Headmaster's death. A part that even Harry had to admit had been forced on his father in part by the ring and in part by Draco's mother asking for an unbreakable vow to cover Draco's arse. It was something that he knew haunted his father's every moment, waking and sleeping alike because it was something that haunted him. Over and over again he would see that night play out in his nightmares. The words that passed between the headmaster and his father now made clear he no longer saw what he thought he had. Now he saw the truth, the awful brutal truth, every night.

Now just weeks after gaining a father, he was about to lose him again. He had done as the headmaster had asked and kept the information deeply guarded. He hadn't told his father about the search or his intention not to return to school come September first knowing his father would never stand for it. There was one thing Harry knew about Severus Snape above anything else, he regarded intelligence highly. He would never allow his son to pull out at the beginning of his seventh year purely to go hunting deeply dark artifacts no matter how much good it would do to destroy them permanently.

A firm knock on the door drew his attention away from his melodramatic thoughts of parting with his father and disappointment he knew he would cause his father when he found out his son had run away in search of some elusive dark objects. "Come in," Harry called.

The door opened to reveal his father standing in his traditional heavy black robes. "Mrs. Weasley has informed me that she will be taking Ronald and Ginevra into Diagon Alley tomorrow to purchase their supplies for this year. They have invited, Draco, Hermione, and you to join them. If you would like to go that is."

"We're allowed out?"

"However would you have your items received? It's a little late to rely on owl-order don't you think?"

Harry grinned. September first was only a few days away after all. "Yeah I guess." He gave his father one last skeptical look. "We can really go? It won't be unsafe for Draco to be out?"

"It will most certainly be unsafe however as per the usual you will have a full Order escort. Lupin, Moody, Shacklebolt, and Miss Tonks will escort you to see that you're all kept safe as houses."

"I've always wondered what that term meant."

"Safe as houses?"

"Yes that one. Seriously what is that suppose to mean?"

Severus cocked an eyebrow then drew a blank. "I have absolutely no idea what it's supposed to mean. Doesn't say much for the supposed safety that it offers does it?"

Harry laughed. "Not particularly."

Severus's lips turned up at the corners in the barest hint of a smile. "As I was saying you've been invited along. Draco and Hermione have already stated they would prefer to go. I assume you do as well?"

Harry nodded after a moment's hesitation. He wouldn't need school supplies but there were things he, Ron, and Hermione would need for their quest. They were planning to rough it, camping where they could as they followed every tiny lead Harry could ever remember Dumbledore ever dropping to him. For that there would be things they would need. He would just have to make sure no one noticed he wasn't purchasing school items but instead was purchasing camping equipment.

Severus idly dusted a nonexistent dust mote away from the high dresser by the door before retreating from his son's room.

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

August thirty-first rolled around quickly. The group of five had a quiet evening after Hermione, Draco, and Harry had completed their packing. Harry and Draco had played a rather short round of wizard's chess while Hermione looked over her summer assignments if for no other reason than to make it look like they were truly heading back to Hogwarts. Around nine that night the three had made their way upstairs to bed.

Harry pulled Hermione in his room and locked the door when Draco had disappeared in the bathroom for a shower. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she nodded and smiled sadly. "Any thoughts on how we are going to make our grand escape?"

"We probably shouldn't apparate off the train even though we all know how. Apparating from a moving target sounds like a recipe for disaster."

"Agreed."

"We could get on and then exit a few cars down. If we exit far enough down our escorts won't see us."

"We would need to exit as near to the platform entrance as possible so we aren't seen. It would be best if we lead them to the front of the train to get on. The prefects' car is first so that won't be hard. We get on there, walk to the back of the train, exit, and dash through the barrier."

"One of us should owl Ron so he knows this."

"I will. I'll ask him to bring back Hedwig with him so she won't lose us."

Harry nodded. Just as he reached to unlock the door Hermione placed her hand over his to stop him. "Harry I think we should ask Draco to come with us," she said quietly.

"What? No."

"Harry. I thought you were over your hatred of him?"

"I am. I just don't want him with us. We can't tell him what we are looking for."

"Yes we can."

"We can't trust him not to tell Dad."

"You don't honestly believe that."

Harry sighed. "No you're right I don't. Ron would have a fit."

"Ron can kiss my bum."

"Are you asking just because you like him or because you think he could actually be useful?"

Hermione blushed slightly, the tips of her ears rosy pink, "a bit of both."

"You really think he can help?"

"Yes. If anyone should know what a dark artifact is or where someone would hide them I think he's it outside of your father that is."

"Probably," Harry said riley. "Okay. Go see if he's out of the shower and bring him back. We'll tell him. But if he tells Dad it's your entire fault."

"He won't." Hermione unlocked the bedroom door and slipped out quickly. Moments later she returned with a pajama clad Draco in tow.

"Hermione what are you doing?"

Harry shut the door and locked it once again.

Draco whipped his head around to look at Harry. "Now what are you doing?"

"Bringing you in on something." Harry shook his head unable to believe he was asking his former second worst enemy to help with the biggest secret of his life. Things just didn't get a lot stranger for him. "Can you keep a secret?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "of course I can. What sort of question is that?"

"The one that decides how much, if anything, I tell you."

"Harry," Hermione chided cutting him off effectively.

"Okay, okay." Harry cut right to the chase. "What do you know about horcruxes?"

Draco's eyes widen. "How the hell do you know about those?"

"A wise old coot told me. Now spill, what do you know?"

"Enough to know that anyone with half a brain wouldn't get within a hundred kilometers of them. Why do you want to know?"

"Because they are what are keeping Voldemort from dying completely."

Draco's eyes got large again. "No fucking way."

Harry and Hermione both nodded.

"Well that explains a lot doesn't it. Still, what's that got to do with you or me for that matter?"

"Voldemort can't be killed till all of the ones he made are destroyed. There were originally seven we believe. Himself as he would have had to have kept at least part of his soul to not die, a family ring, his diary that he kept during his years at Hogwarts as a student, a locket that belong to Salazar Slytherin himself, and a cup that belonged to Hufflepuff, as well as two others that we don't know what are. Presumably those are made of items that once belong to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

Out of the seven 3 are missing, clearly we don't know where he is, but he's the last to take care of anyway so it doesn't matter where he is right now. The locket, ring, and diary have already been destroyed. Dumbledore asked me to find the missing cup and the unknown sixth and seventh objects."

"What's this got to do with me?"

Hermione looked guilty. "We, Harry, Ron, and I, will not be returning to Hogwarts this year. We are leaving tomorrow to go find the three mixing horcruxes so they can be destroyed."

"You're what?" Draco wailed in the must ineloquent way possible.

"Draco, please be quiet. We don't want Harry's dad hearing this."

"Of course not," he scoffed. "He would never let you attempt to pull off something as stupid as this. Do you have any clue what sort of dark magic it takes to make a horcrux? This isn't kiddy stuff you are all playing with. This is deep dark magic. Just touching a horcrux that isn't yours is supposed to curse you to a half-life if not out right kill you."

"Well what else is new… me cursed, who would have thought it," Harry muttered darkly.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him but continued on. "We know. One poisoned the headmaster. It's why he insisted Harry's dad kill him. He was already dying."

"I knew as much, but I didn't know what was killing him to begin with just that he was dieing." Clarity filled his grey eyes. "That makes so much more sense now."

Harry nodded knowing exactly what Draco must be thinking. "Look we have to do this."

Draco nodded, "yeah I guess I can understand that. I won't tell anyone where you went."

Hermione coughed and elbowed Harry in the side.

Harry automatically tucked his arm in to his sore side. "Well you see Hermione and I were thinking you might like to come along and help. Clearly you know more about dark artifacts than either of us. We though you might be able to help narrow the search down."

"Weasel isn't going to like that."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Must you call him that?"

"Yes," Draco replied sharply.

She huffed. "Well I wish you wouldn't."

"If wishes were horses even beggars would ride. Now when do we get started? You said tomorrow, were you being serious?"

Hermione nodded, "we leave from the train station tomorrow."

"You have a plan?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded. "We'll enter the train at the first car since three of us are prefects. From there we dash through the train and get back off as close to the barrier as possible so our escorts don't see us get off."

Draco nodded. "Sounds workable. Who are our escorts for tomorrow?"

"Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, and you can bet Mrs. Weasley will be there as well." 

Draco nodded again. "Are you just leaving blind or did you plan to owl them once you were gone."

"Hadn't thought about it honestly," Harry replied.

"Owl back that way they don't mount a search party. Well the Order might anyway but at least with a note they won't automatically think _he_ kidnapped us."

"He's right Harry. Otherwise they will automatically think Voldemort has us no matter what your dad would be able to tell them. Best to leave a note or owl them one so they don't."

"Works for me. 'Mione go owl Ron so he doesn't freak when he sees Draco with us."

"Yep." Hermione quickly gave Draco a peck on the cheek that made the blond flush a deep red before unlocking the door and slipping out.

"I guess I better go make sure I'm packed," he mumbled before following her out.

Harry laughed; Draco was human after all it seemed.

**HP HG RW DM HP HG RW DM**

The fire flickered brilliantly against the dark of the night. The four lay curled on blankets around it to ward off the cold chill of the night air. Harry laid the parchment down next to him. "Dad's furious."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Ya think," he scoffed.

Hermione ran her hand down Draco's arm. "Dray quit goading Harry."

"Whatever," he replied.

Ron laughed. Draco was so whipped it was funny. It reminded him a good deal of his father when his mum put him in his place to be honest. It was a thought that in itself was eerie in regards to his best friend and once enemy who were lying across the fire from him curled together on the blanket. "So what did he say?"

Harry muttered something none of them could understand.

"I'm afraid I didn't catch that mate. Care to repeat?"

"He said he was going to string us all up by our… by something painful if we weren't home 'from this farce of a stupid Gryffindoresque adventure' by Christmas. He's apparently held the Order off as long as he can with what little information we've given him. He keeps trying to get me to tell him where we are and why we are gone but you know why I can't. But they don't believe he doesn't know anything I guess. It's annoying him that he's 'strung-up either way he turns' or so he says."

Hermione laughed. "Sounds like he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's not like we have to worry. The Order would have to be able to find us to begin with to come get us and we all know they can't or we would be back by now. We all know they haven't been sitting around on their hands just waiting for us to show back up."

"They could try to force Sev to tell them whatever it is they think he knows."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Clearly they think he knows everything."

"They wouldn't force him to do anything," Ron broke in.

"Like hell they wouldn't," Draco replied.

Harry nodded his head in agreement. "I wouldn't put it past Moody to put Vertiserum in Dad's coffee in effort to find out what he knows if we stay gone much longer. He's never trusted Dad that I know of."

Hermione nodded sadly. "Hopefully we'll be done by Christmas anyway. We've already found and destroyed the cup. Finding Ravenclaw's wand was almost too easy but that's all done now. That just leaves the item of Gryffindor's. With any luck we've got a few weeks left to find it and to be back before Yule."

Harry sighed; it was time to tell them he thought he knew what the last one was. He had managed to keep that secret for almost three months. He couldn't any longer. He wanted to go home as much as the next person.

He had gotten closer to his father exchanging letters during the time they had been hunting every nook and cranny of England even though he had been forced to keep the secret of the reason for their travels to himself instead of confiding in his father. Still it was amazing what could be said with the written word that he just couldn't bring himself to say out loud. It was so much easier to be completely honest when you knew you didn't have to face the emotions of the other person while they were discovering all your hidden secrets. It was easier to face his own emotions when he didn't have to do so in front of his father.

Now some eleven weeks after he had left Grimwald place with Draco and Hermione he found he was eager to return home. The past had been cleared between the two. He honestly felt that for the first time in his life he really had a father. He had a father and he wanted to be there with him for Christmas. To do that he would have to tell his companions that the sixth horcrux could very well be him…

"Guys, I think I might actually know what the last one is," he said quietly.

All three heads snapped in his direction.

"Care to explain?" Draco asked.

Harry looked down and started picking at the dead grass next to the edge of his blanket. "I think it's me…"

Ron and Draco automatically began contesting the idea.

"Not possible," Ron commented.

"You're too goody-goody Gryffindor to be holding something that dark," Draco replied.

Hermione however didn't. She knew Harry well enough by now to know he had some reasoning behind this idea. He wouldn't just blurt something that crazy out. "Why Harry? Why do you think it's you?"

"It fits. He hadn't intended to leave me alive that night. I was supposed to be dead because he feared I was the child in the prophecy. It could have been Neville, but for whatever reason he decided it was me. He went to Godric's Hollow with the intent to leave three bodies behind. Certainly having killed three people he would have the desired deaths to make a new horcrux. It would have been at the forefront of his mind when he sent the cruse at me. We all know it takes a death and intent, no spells required to make them. I've never believed Dumbledore's theory that it was mum's love that saved me. That's just too unbelievable for even me. What if I lived because his mind was more set on having his last horcrux made of the death of my parents rather than the intent to actually kill me?"

Hermione gasped. Harry had put forth a plausible theory that made more than a bit of sense. "Oh gods Harry."

"You know I'm right. The killing curse doesn't work if your intent isn't there. If he was focused less on my death and more on the horcrux he intended to create later he may well have botched my death without intending too. He wouldn't even know I was one would he? The rebound doing what it did to him."

"Hence why he isn't worried about keeping you alive. If he didn't know he had created one out of you he wouldn't know not to kill you," Draco said with stark realization.

"Exactly," Harry replied.

Ron shook his head. "No. It's still not possible. You're not dark Harry. You've never done anything remotely considered dark."

Harry raised his eyebrow. "I haven't? What about my uncanny ability to speak and read parseltongue which only dark wizards seem to be able to do, being able to access the Chamber of Secrets is enough for most to consider me dark, or how about me attempting to cast the cruciatus on Bellatrix in the Department of Mysteries. That dark enough for ya?"

Draco eyed Harry with wide-eyed fascination. "You didn't?"

Harry nodded his head in shame. "It didn't work though."

"Pity, that twisted cow would have deserved it if it had," Draco replied darkly about his mother's sister but didn't go further.

Hermione glowered at Draco before turning back to Harry. "You are not dark Harry."

"Okay then, explain why the sorting hat wanted me in Slytherin. The very house of dark wizards, no offence Draco."

"None taken," he replied almost without thinking. Neither Ron nor Hermione spoke. Not one of them could explain it. Everyone knew those with an inner darkness were sorted into the serpent house; it's just the way it was and had been for a thousand years.

Hermione broke from her stupor first. "Well I guess then we need to figure out how to find out for certain if you are holding a piece of his soul then find a way to undo it," she said resolutely.

Harry looked up his friend sadly. "'Mione you know as well as I do that we may not be able to undo it."

"Just because we haven't tried to remove the soul piece from the other objects doesn't mean it can't be done."

"No, it just means we thought it too hard or too dangerous to try."

"Then what, you die for this?" she said loudly. Her chest heaved violently betraying the withheld fear and boiling hatred for the thought of her friend laying his life down.

"If I have to," he replied quietly.

"Harry," Ron said softly. "You can't."

"If I have to die to take him out then so be it Ron. I will do what I have to do. He has taken my life from me. My mother is dead, Sirius is dead, Professor Dumbledore is dead, and I grew up without my father in that house with my aunt and uncle because of him. I will do what I have to do to grant them justice." Harry got up and walked away from the group that sat settled around the fire. He walked into the darkness seeking peace away from their pitying looks.

Hermione broke into racking sobs as her friend for the past six and half years walked into the darkness. Ron moved over to the other side of her not even paying a passing thought to the fact that Draco was already holding her as he wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulders. "We can't let him do this," Hermione whispered against Draco's shoulder where her head lay.

"But how do we stop him?" Ron said.

The question hung thick and heavy in the air for a moment as each of the three sat huddled together. Hermione's sobs quieted as she took comfort in the two strong sets of arms wrapped tightly around her.

Draco spoke with a cracked voice. "We tell his dad."

Ron looked over Hermione's head at the blonde on the other side of her. "We can't. We swore we wouldn't."

Draco sighed. "I know. I made the same promise. Normally I wouldn't go against my word, but this calls for a different tactic. If we don't tell then Harry is going to end up dead. His father would kill us if he found out we knew and let him go out and basically let himself get killed or worse kill himself all to stop that sadistic bastard." Hermione started crying again, tears soaking the shoulder of Draco's jumper. "Look I understand if you two can't tell him but I can. I've kept my word and not told Severus where or why we were out here. I have not even considered breaking Harry's trust till now, but for this I can. I can deal with Harry hating me for breaking his trust for this. After all he's hated me longer than he's liked me," he said sadly.

Hermione sat up and shook her head. "No, if we do this, we all do it. We all take the blame. He can't hate us all forever no matter how hard he tries."

Ron nodded in agreement. "So do we try to fix it first or just tell his dad as soon as possible?"

Draco shook his head. "We only go to him as a last resort. Severus is a Slytherin. He'll understand why we had to do this on our own without bringing him into it. We research, do whatever it takes to find out for certain, then undo it. If we can't find anything or find it can't be fixed them we go to him for help."

Hermione nodded. "It's a plan."

"Yep it is," Draco replied hollowly. "It's a plan…"


	8. Not So Holly Jolly

**Never So Holly Jolly**

**Part 8 of The Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please._

**_Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. _**

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

"I give up," Harry said with a frustrated growl as he tossed the latest book onto the dinner table. It had given them nothing in their search for a way to remove the shattered soul piece that Voldemort had buried deep within him. The book was just one more dusty tome in a long list of tomes that had given nothing but dry hands and paper cuts.

"Harry," Hermione said with a deep sadness in her voice. "You can't. We can find a way. I know we can."

"No Hermione you want to be able to fix this. It's just what you do. You find problems and then solve them. But face it, you can't solve this one."

Ron looked between his two oldest friends. "Harry, we've still got time to figure this out."

"No we don't," he replied emphatically. "The visions are worse than ever. He's preparing to make his move. Within months this war will be over one way or the other I can promise you."

"You can't possibly know that," Ron replied to Harry's dramatic statement.

"Of course I can. I have a bloody mind connection to him. I may not officially know what he's planning but I know the end is coming. He will make his move. Either we will meet, fight, and win putting an end to this madness or he'll defeat us and the world will sink into hell on earth. Either way it ends before Christmas next year."

Draco sat silently at the table in the muggle pub looking around at the gaudy brightly colored red and green Christmas decorations as he listened to his companions talking. It was time to make good on a pact. Severus had to be told. Harry had insisted that they go home for Christmas now that he knew for certain that he was indeed the last horcrux. They could research a way to remove the foul soul piece from him from there as easily as anywhere after all.

He would give Harry a chance to spill to his father for himself but if the four-eyed wonder hadn't told by the time they were set to leave Grimwald Place again then he would have to tell Severus for him. If it meant losing the connection, the friendship, the budding brotherhood he had formed with Harry during their adventure then so be it. He flat refused to watch Harry give up and die if there was so much as a single shred of hope that he could be saved from that fate. Selfless actions were only good if you lived through them to enjoy the benefits.

"But don't you see? We aren't ready for this war. The Order is undermanned. The Ministry is doing nothing helpful. If anything they are inciting panic that is forcing people farther apart instead of helping them ban together. Then there is us. We've tramped all over Britain and found next to nothing. We've spent more money than Ron's parents see in a year, on offence, on bribes and leads that have gotten us a fat lot of nothing. We've done plenty of weird shit but unless you count the occasional mock duel we've trained none. How the hell are we supposed to fight a war if we aren't even practicing? Hell we are still not members of the Order and after disappearing for months on end I doubt they are going to be handing out invites just for the fun of it."

The group sat quietly thinking and idly eating their meal. Well everyone save Ron who was eating in the style he always did, as if food was something he had never encountered and he feared he might never encounter it again. Hermione wiped her mouth with her napkin before speaking again. "Well there is always the option of remaining at Grimwald after Christmas. I'm mostly certain that if we asked Remus or your Dad that one of them would be willing to help us train. There is certainly enough room there to train without worrying about destroying everything."

"She's got a point Harry. There is little left we can't do from home that we haven't been doing here."

"There are still libraries off the isle to check. The one in Paris looked like it might be of help or what about the one in Alexandria?"

"We can just as easily take short trips to them to look as we can go there and staying for days on end. If we find something we can always extend our stay."

"Yes but would dad let us out of his sight again to even do that?"

"I don't seem to recall you letting that stop you this go around," Draco popped off.

Ron laughed then attempted to cough to cover it up. Harry elbowed him in the side. "Ow," Ron cried out.

Draco pushed the remains of his dinner around his plate with the generic metal fork in his hand. "You could always tell your father what we are doing?"

"No," Harry replied nearly viciously.

"I'm just saying he might have information or be able to gather information that we don't have access to."

"I doubt that. We've already decided that Voldemort can't possibly know what I am or he wouldn't be trying to kill me at every turn."

"I just think…"

"Well don't Draco. Clearly it's not working for you."

"Harry," Hermione called out in reprimand. "I can't believe you."

"What? Just calling it as I see it."

The dark curly haired witch glared daggers at her best friend. "Harry don't take this wrong but Draco's not the only one that thinks it might help to talk to your dad."

Harry looked between his three friends with barely restrained anger. "Oh he's not. Then pray tell what were you all thinking?"

"Just what Draco said; maybe you should tell him. Maybe he knows something or has heard something."

Harry growled. "And if I don't?"

"Then expect that I can't promise to not tell him myself," Hermione replied evenly. "I refuse to allow you to sacrifice yourself for no reason.

"This is not 'no reason' Hermione. This is the fate of the wizarding world. When I first told you I might be one that I would do what I have to do. I bloody well meant it. Nothing you do or say will change that."

"I know that Harry and I respect it. Honestly I do. But I will not let you just toss it all up before we are one thousand percent certain there is no other course of action that can be taken to save your life. If that means telling your father, Remus, the whole of the Order why we are out traipsing over the whole of England then by Merlin I will do so!" A swirl of colors flew around the occupants of the table before pulling into Hermione over her heart.

Ron and Draco's eye's widened. "Well you've done it now 'Mione." Ron said with a bit of a shake in his voice.

"Done what? What are you babbling on about Ronald?"

The three guys looked at her rather bewilderedly. "The lights."

"What lights? Dear Merlin I didn't think there was enough alcohol in Butterbeer to make even you the slightest bit drunk but it appears I might have been wrong."

Draco lifted and eyebrow. "You really didn't see the lights?"

"For the last time I didn't see any lights. What are you all talking about?"

"Well um you just make an unbreakable vow I think. The lights were the magic sealing it I guess. Sealing us all to it, but mainly sealing you to it," Draco replied.

Panic stricken her mouth dropped open. "How did I do that? I thought you had to have a binder to make one of those?"

Harry shrugged not really knowing how someone made an unbreakable vow. Ron just looked sort of unsure what to say. Draco shook his head in defeat. He would have to explain it. "Most of the time you do require a binder to make it an unbreakable vow. But there were three magically able witnesses at the table pet. The magic saw us as binders. The correct words all strung together I guess."

"Oh sweet Circe I didn't mean to. Harry, I…"

Harry shook his head at her. "It's okay. If all three of you believe this strongly that I should tell him then maybe I should."

"We do."

"He's so going to kill me."

Ron laughed. "Well at least you-know-who won't get the pleasure then."

The whole group burst out laughing at the insane joke.

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

The fire cracked and popped merrily in the hearth. An orange cat that belonged to neither of the occupants of the house was laid out in front of the roaring fire on the threadbare rug that sat between the fire and the worn leather couch. "Severus," Remus called out from the hall.

"In here."

Moments later the shorter man entered the sitting room of number 12 Grimwald Place with a roll of parchment in his hand. "This just came. It's addressed to both of us."

"Hedwig?"

Remus nodded.

"Took the brat long enough to write back."

Remus smiled. "You just sent the owl to him day before yesterday."

"He normally writes back the next day."

"I'm sure there was good reason."

Severus snorted as he unrolled the parchment.

_Dear Dad,_

_You can stop asking when we are coming home now. We'll see you tomorrow night at the latest. If you don't mind could you tell Ron's parents we'll be home soon? Pig isn't here or we would send him to the Burrow ourselves. _

_Sorry I can't write more but we've got one last thing to do before we return home. We are short on time to finish it so I need to go. Draco is glaring at me to hurry up._

_Tell Remmie I said hi and that I'll see you both tomorrow..._

_Your Son,_

_J.H.P. Snape_

Severus sat silently reading and rereading the short missive in his hands. He completely forgot about the werewolf in the room. "Well?"

Severus shook his head and looked up. "Well what?"

"What did he have to say?"

"Um," he started then shifted to pass the letter to the shorter man. "Read it for yourself."

Quickly Remus scanned the letter. His face broke out into a wide smile. "It's about time."

"Agreed."

"We should have them something good to eat ready when they get here. I'm certain they've not eaten anything decent since they left here."

"Probably not."

"Well what to fix?" 

"He likes Shepard's pie. He mentioned it in one of his letters."

"Ah yes, I remember that. The rant about poor Shepard's pie at a tavern named the Shepard's Keep." Remus laughed. "Shepard's pie it is."

Severus looked up at the huge grandfather clock in the corner of the room. It was only six-thirty in the evening. Still early enough for what he needed to take care of. "I'm going out."

Remus looked over at him oddly. Typically the only place Severus left to go was to his meetings with Voldemort, though he had made to trips into muggle London to retrieve items that he had refused to divulge the nature of. "Is he?" Remus asked in regards to Voldemort.

Severus shook his head quickly. "No. Just something I thought of. Nothing that will take long; I'll be home before too late. No worries I'll polyjuice myself."

Remus nodded and turned to head for the kitchen. He liked to cook and now he had an excuse to do so more than normal. Severus would go do whatever mysterious thing he had to do and would return.

Several hours later Remus had flooed Molly to inform her that her son and the others would be returning sometime the following day. He had flooed into Hogsmead, ran to Hogwarts to speak to Minevra to inform her of the same. Then he had come home and began cooking. Four hungry teenagers were set to arrive the next day and Christmas was the day after that.

While he had bought all the foods for a traditional holiday meal and the superfluous deserts that one expected to find lying about during the season he hadn't felt compelled to fix any of them until tonight. Now the kitchen sat in a state of disarray with dirty dishes strewn across every available surface. Racks of cookies sat cooling on the table next to a plate of mini fruit jam filled torts. There were two pumpkin pies still baking in the magical oven that looked like a huge monster from the muggle turn of the century. There were fresh jugs of pumpkin juice, lemonade that he knew Hermione loved greatly, and even a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice for Harry.

When Severus opened the door to the kitchen he was bowled over at the sight before him. "Remus I realize sometimes you have a little identity crisis but I hadn't realized it was a male verses female problem you were having," he said with a sneer covered smile.

"Oh bugger off. They'll be hungry."

"I'm sure they will but I don't think sweets are going to be exactly what they are in need of."

Remus looked around. "I intend to make non-deserts tomorrow."

Severus rolled his eyes, "Of course Molly," he quipped before turning and leaving the room.

Remus dusted the flour off the front of his robes and headed off in search of his roommate. He found him in the sitting room once more with several plastic shopping bags spread out around him. Remus's eyes widen suddenly noticing the name on the shopping bags. "Do my eyes deceive me or have you been in muggle London? Oh no not just muggle London but shopping in a muggle supermarket?"

"Lupin do yourself a favor and return to that kitchen of yours. What I've been doing is none of your business nor are the contents of these packages."

"Oh no you don't Sevvie," he popped back with a sugary sweet voice that just dripped with sarcasm, "You're so going to tell me what could be so important that you had to rush off the night before your son returns home to visit a muggle market."

Severus growled. "Never call me 'Sevvie' again. Now out wolf before I find a nice vial of liquid silver to slip in your morning tea."

Remus rolled his eyes and chuckled as he turned to leave the room. He did have one messy kitchen to clean up. He couldn't very well cook a proper meal for that bunch of knar-do-wells if the kitchen was an utter mess, now could he.

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

Hermione fluttered around their latest accommodations checking and double checking that they hadn't left anything behind. "Ron why are your underwear under the wardrobe she yelled."

The red head poked his head out of the open loo door. "I…uh…I…uh." His face was flushed bright red.

Harry laughed. "I believe what he means is he doesn't remember."

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she nearly growled at the two. "Why wouldn't he remember?"

It was Harry's turn to blush. "We may have had a bit too much Fire whiskey."

"You got alcohol where exactly?"

"From Tom," Draco supplied as he walked in the room from the outer hall.

Hermione shook her head. "He should know better than sell alcohol to minors."

"'Mione we are hardly children anymore," Harry interjected.

"Well you certainly can't tell it from the way you three act sometimes," she replied hotly.

Draco came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and nipped. "Oh pet admit it, you love us just the way we are. If we were all old and stuffy acting you would be bored to tears."

"Hum. Still some decorum from time to time wouldn't be frowned upon."

Draco laughed and kissed the outside of her ear. "We'll keep that in mind. Won't we guys?" he said with a laugh.

The other two laughed and agreed.

Draco let go of Hermione and began grabbing up his bags. "You two got all your stuff or are you going to let our girl here do all your picking up?"

"Mine's all together," Harry said as he popped a Toothflossing Stringmint into his mouth.

Ron looked around. "Looks like I've got everything." He blushed again when Hermione pointed out the pair of orange Canons boxers that were sticking out from the bottom of the wardrobe. Quickly he moved across the room and grabbed them. Sticking them in his bag before one again announcing he was ready.

The four gathered their bags and shrunk them before they walked down the stairs of the Leaky Caldron. Harry quickly went to the bar and paid the bill for their tab and the bill for their two rooms; one for the guys and one for Hermione. They exited the door into muggle London and walked a few blocks before hailing a taxi to take them to North Camden Town where number 12 Grimwald Place sat waiting.

The ride was loud and full of happy anxiety about returning home. Especially for Harry and Draco who were literally returning to the only father they ever truly knew. Hermione pointed out all the Christmas decorations to an enraptured Draco who she found truly enjoyed everything she had to tell him about muggle life. Harry sat in the front seat next to the cabbie, but turned back to talk to Ron most of the ride.

The ride was quicker than any of them had expected. Since Harry knew the cabbie would only see burned out rubble in the place where Grimwald Place stood, he had him drop them at the market three blocks down the street.

They walked the remaining three blocks quickly. Hermione and Draco walked arm in arm ahead of Harry and Ron who managed to fill the walk with happy chatter about Mrs. Weasley's food that was bound to be overflowing.

They reached the doorstep and all looked silently at one another.

"Do we ring the bell," Harry asked.

"Why would we do that?" Ron asked.

"Cause we've not been here in months."

"It's your house Potter. Don't see why you need to ring into your own home," Draco said in his best 'Harry you're stupid' tone.

Before the decision could be made the door opened to reveal one Severus Snape dressed head to toe in his customary black flowing robes. "Well are you all going to stand there all day or do you plan to grace us with your presence?"

Harry nearly laughed at the comment. "Hey Dad," he said with a weak smile.

"Hi Harry." Severus turned. "I see you're well Draco."

"Of course," he said with a smirk.

Severus shook his head then stepped back so the group of teens could move into the room. Hermione, Ron, and Draco moved on in heading for other parts of the house without delay. Harry moved in slower, shutting the door behind him.

"Harry," Severus started but was cut off when a set of surprisingly strong arms went around his middle. Suddenly he found himself with his arms full of his teenage son. Unsure of what to do, he wrapped his own arms around the shoulders of his son. For several minuets the two stood silently together as if it were the most natural thing ever done between them. Slowly Harry let up on the death grip he had around his father's middle and backed away. "I'm sorry," he said with a full blush.

"Don't be," Severus said with a quiet whisper.

"I just….I…I missed you."

Severus smiled one of the few genuine smiled he had ever smiled in his life. "I missed you as well surprisingly."

Harry laughed lightly. "Thank you."

"Whatever for?" Severus asked slightly confused.

"For not forcing us to come back or to tell you where we had gone."

Severus nodded. "I'm Slytherin Harry. I do understand that sometimes you just can't trust other's with some things. I do however wish a time will come between us that you might realize you can trust your words, your actions, your everything with me."

Harry nodded. "I might just take you up on that."

"Please do."

The sound of footsteps drew both of their eyes to the end of the hall. Remus came in from the basement doorway. "Well the prodigal son returns," he said with a wide smile.

"Remus," Harry said with a smile. He met the man in the middle of the hall and gave him a strong hug before backing away to give them both a bit of space. "You look well."

Remus laughed. "Only you would be gone four months and come home to tell me I look better. Thank you though. I feel better. Your father's had some time to tweak the wolfsbane. The changes have made a world of difference."

Harry looked back at his dad with a thousand watt proud smile. "He forgot to mention that."

"Did he," Remus asked a bit intrigued. "Well yeah he did. Life can be a bit boring wallowing around here. I guess it gave him something to do when he wasn't writing to you."

"I had been planning to make the changes for some time now. I just hadn't had the time or the resources available."

Remus laughed and shook his head. "This Harry is an example of Severus being modest. Don't expect to ever see it happen again in regards to his potions. He knows damn well just how big a difference he's made for me."

Harry couldn't help but beam with pride towards his father.

"Lupin do shut your mouth before I hex it shut for you."

"Snape, do stop being so foul," he replied with a smirk. "There is food in the kitchen if you're hungry Harry."

Harry nodded. Remus turned and headed up the stairs past the covered portrait of the Black matriarch. "Just a little something you were thinking of huh?"

"The changes really were nominal. Not even worth mentioning," he replied evenly.

"Clearly Remus doesn't think so."

"He's blinded by minor changes. Soon enough it will be a regularly mundane occurrence."

Harry smiled even more still at his father's false modesty. "I highly doubt that."

The two walked silently down the hall into the sitting room together. Harry was mildly surprised to find a rather large Christmas tree glittering brightly in the corner; the flames of individual candles flickering randomly. He couldn't help but thing that this was the first true Christmas he would ever spend with his real family. His two best friends, his former enemy turned brother, his former teacher slash godfather figure, and most importantly his father. It had been a dream when he was a child to spend Christmas with his parents and had grown up thinking, no knowing, that was impossible. But now here he was standing in his sitting room with his father not ten feet across the room. There was a massive sparkling tree, packages were stuffed three and four deep under the base of it. If he could look in the Mirror of Erisid at that moment he was certain that this was the image he would see.

Harry turned. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you were we where."

"You need not explain. You are an adult Harry."

"But I know," he stopped and gathered he thoughts. "I know you would have preferred if we had returned to Hogwarts for our finial year."

Severus nodded. "I would have but I didn't and don't yet feel I have the right to say what you can and cannot do Harry. You are your own man."

Harry took a deep breath. "Men have to make tough decisions."

"They do Harry," he said with a raised eyebrow wondering where his son was going with this conversation.

"I need to tell you where we were then."

"Is it that hard?"

"Not to do but to tell you yes."

"I won't make empty promises of kind receptions about this Harry. But I can tell you this. Speak of it, whatever it is, can easy a guilty spirit. I speak from experience."

"I don't want to ruin your holiday," Harry said glumly.

"Forget that infernal holiday and say what you must Harry."

"Professor Dumbledore charged me with a task. I'm certain he didn't mean for me to do it instead of attending my seventh year but I felt it couldn't wait. Now I wish I had."

Severus swallowed hard. What had the old fool done from beyond the grave? "Harry?"

Harry looked his father in the eye, not noticing Hermione, Draco, and Ron enter the room behind him. "Do you know what a horcrux is?"

Severus paled. "I do," he replied with a slow nod.

Voldemort made five of them before he visited Godric's Hollow on October 31st. His intent was to make the sixth after he left, leaving my mother, James, and myself dead. We all know that plan didn't go properly but he still go his sixth horcrux."

"Harry…"

"We've been out hunting them down."

"Sweet Merlin," Severus replied almost automatically.

"Three of them were already destroyed before we left. I ruined his diary in my second year."

"The Chamber."

Harry nodded then continued. "The headmaster destroyed the ring."

"Ring?"

"The one that poisoned him; it was the Gaunt family ring. Voldemort hid it in the remains of his grandmother's home. I'm not sure when the professor found it but I know he wore it for some time."

Severus nodded this time.

"Then there was a locket. I went with Professor Dumbledore to retrieve it last year but when we got to it through the booby traps we found a fake and a note. The real one turned out to be here. Our best educated guess is that Sirius's brother placed the fake and brought the real locket here for safe keeping only to get killed for deserting the death eaters soon after."

"I knew he was killed by him, but I never could imagine why. That would certainly be reason enough."

"Yeah wouldn't it though. As I was saying I found it and had Remus and Kingsly destroy it. Yeah so that leaves four left. You have to keep a piece of your soul so obviously Voldemort still has one. I had been left clues that there was a cup owned by Helga Hufflepuff that seemed the next most likely one. The professor never could find it but we did. It was destroyed in November."

"And the last two," Severus asked quietly.

"Ravenclaw's wand. That one was hidden in plain sight in a library in Dover. Destroyed it in October."

"The last?"

"That's where things get nasty. I'm the last," he said with a voice barely over a whisper.

Severus' normally emotionless face dropped. "Are you certain?"

For the first time since Harry began Hermione spoke. "We are. There's no doubt in our minds."

Severus, with his head bowed slightly, nodded. "I assume you have spent the past weeks researching a way to remove the piece from Harry?"

"We have sir," Ron said quietly.

"Have you found what you seek?"

"No Severus," Draco said.

With the four having all spoken once again whirls of color surrounded the teens. It spread out, swirled around the room one last time, then flashed and ended. Draco snorted. "Well Hermione is in the clear now."

"What?" she asked.

"She didn't see it again."

"What?" she asked yet again, her voice a bit more anxious.

"Your vow to tell Dad Hermione; it's fulfilled."

"Oh," she said meekly.

Severus shook his head. "You've been a busy lot. Horcrux hunting, unbreakable vows, Merlin only knows what else."

"Unsafe sex, drinking, general rough housing," Draco muttered to himself.

"I heard that," Remus said.

"Bugger, sorry Harry."

"Teach you to mutter around a werewolf," Harry laughed.

"Indeed," Remus said with a grin.

The group lapsed into a peaceful silence. Severus broke it. "Harry we can fix this."

"Can we?"

"Yes. I'm certain of it. But it's risky."

"Risky is my middle name."

"It should be," Hermione snarked.

The group all burst out laughing. "Come on you lot. Let's go in the kitchen to continue with this conversation. You can all eat and put some meat back on your bones. The whole lot of you look like you've not seen food in years."

Harry smiled. "Have you been spending time with Mrs. Weasley cause that sounds just like something she would say?"

"No more than normal though your father accused me of as much last night…."


	9. Decisions and Discoveries

**Decisions and Discoveries**

**Part 9 of The Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **__My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please._

_**Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. **_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

"You're really going to go ahead with this aren't you?" the young blonde man asked.

Harry nodded, "What other option do I have?"

"Stay like you are and keeping killing that split-soul bastard once a year for life?"

"I would rather not if it's all the same to you."

Draco shrugged, "It's your life. Do whatever flies your broom."

Harry laughed and bent back over his open transfiguration book. Draco did the same idly chewing on the end of a sugar quill as he read from the NEWT level textbook.

"Remind me why we are doing this again?" Draco asked.

Harry looked back up from his text, "Because Dad insisted we needed our NEWTS and McGonagall thought it was a good way for us to train."

Draco grumbled under his breath. "Bloody woman just couldn't leave well enough alone eh."

Harry shrugged. "Well at least we won't be all stupid looking without our NEWTS later on."

"Whatever Potter. You and I both know you don't need them. You've got the whole of the Potter and the Black fortune sitting in Gringotts just waiting for you. You wouldn't have to lift a finger to ever do anything in your life and there would still be enough money left to last your descendants the next twelve generations." He stopped and looked at the dark haired teen across from him. "Then again I guess we should be glad you're at least acting like you plan on living past next Christmas."

"Draco…"

"No. Sorry I shouldn't have said that. Sev would have my head for that."

"No it's okay. I deserved it. I have gone around acting like I was two steps from hell for weeks now."

Draco laughed, "Yeah you have; made a right arse out of yourself. Boy can you throw one hell of a pity party Potter."

"Like you've never wallowed in a bit of self pity."

"Not when anyone was watching."

"Well there was that one time," Harry said softly.

"Yeah well, you weren't supposed to see that. How was I to know you were going to pay a visit to the girl's loo?"

A blush crept up Harry's neck, "I knew you were in there," he said at barely above a whisper.

Draco looked perplexed. "How?"

"The Marauder's Map; something Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter made when they were at Hogwarts. It shows every person on the grounds at any given time. I'll show you sometime. But yeah long story short I had been trying all year to catch you doing something. You just always seemed to be up to something. I was determined to find out what. I saw you in that room and wondered if somehow you had gotten the Chamber open."

"What chamber?"

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in Myrtle's bathroom."

"I never knew that."

"I think the only people that do are a few of the professors, Voldemort, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and me. Look I honestly didn't mean for that to happen." Draco gave Harry a stony glare. "I didn't mean to cut you up like that. I didn't know what the curse did honestly. I know I shouldn't have used it without knowing what it did. I can't begin to say how sorry I am."

Draco looked at Harry and saw only sincere regret in his pseudo brother's eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before beginning. "I should… I should hate you for that… but I just can't. I get it. You were trying to catch me doing just what I was doing. I thought a couple times after that night that if I had told you why I was crying you might have tried to help me but every time I considered going to you I just couldn't do it. I did aim first, so yeah just consider it even."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah; your dad wants us to make peace. We can't do that if I don't accept your apology. Since I actually want to make peace that means I have to let this go completely. It's time ya know."

"I really am sorry," Harry repeated.

"I know. I wouldn't be forgiving you if I didn't think you were no matter what Severus wants."

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, once again returning to their homework. Several minutes later Hermione joined them at the table in the library that the group was using to study at most days. She smiled at the two sitting studying so studiously. "I still can't believe Headmistress McGonagall is allowing your father to teach us privately Harry."

"I can. In fact I can just see her face when she realized her two top students in the whole school hadn't showed up on the train. I bet she bent over backwards with joy when dad asked her if he could teach you and Draco."

"I'm sure she was just as glad for you to be continuing your education as well."

Harry laughed. "Sure and just yesterday I saw pigs fly and dragon's dancing the tango on the back lawn. She knows just what an utterly wretched student I am. I would never have gotten this far if I hadn't had you pushing me along all these years."

"Oh Harry you shouldn't put yourself down. What about defense? You could probably teach that class better than anyone other than maybe your dad."

"I'm sure he could," Severus said having entered the room just as Hermione had spoken. "He is rather talented in that area. I hear all the students that were in your little undercover defense class are at the top of their NEWT and OWL classes. I almost believe he could sit the NEWT defense now and pass it with flying colors."

Harry's eyes widened. He had never heard his father so openly praise him before. He had never truly had anyone to do that. Sure Sirius had thought highly of him and Remus could see his skill or he wouldn't have taught him the Patronis charm during third year. Hermione and Ron would be in his corner till the end of time he knew, but somehow it sounded so much different coming from his father; from a man who Harry knew didn't impart compliments unless they were truly well deserved. Which to the dark-haired Slytherin was rarely, if ever.

"Thanks dad," he said with a tightly strained voice.

"There is no need to thank me for pointing out the truth."

"Still."

"Harry, do stop before you embarrass both of us."

"Yes sir." 

Severus nodded once before leaning over Draco to look at the work he was doing on an essay for transfiguration. "You might wish to reword that. Minevra always has seemed to prefer less flowery wording."

Draco turned back and looked up at the older man. "I thought you were teaching us?"

"Teaching yes, grading no. It was decided that for the sake of fairness all of your assignments will be graded by their Hogwarts professors. As Minevra is still teaching transfiguration for lack of ability to find a replacement she will be grading your work."

"Oh," Draco replied.

"It really does make sense Draco. If Harry's dad were grading us, someone might think he was giving us preferential treatment or worse letting us cheat."

"Severus let us cheat? Bloody not likely," Draco smarted off. "But who would really care anyway? The only ones that know we are being taught by Severus are Order members. I don't see any of them challenging our grades. They might be worried that he might be teaching us the dark arts instead of the defense against them maybe but not that he would allow us to cheat."

"Quite so Draco, quite so," Severus stepped back from the table. "Harry could I speak with you for a moment."

"Yeah sure," he said closing his transfiguration book and stashed his quill in the ink pot that sat in the center of the table.

The two left the library and walked down to the kitchen. Remus was fixing a cup of coffee for himself as the two entered. "Hello Harry, Severus. Would either of you care for a cup?"

"No thank you," they answered in tandem.

"Tea or juice then?"

"Tea if you would," Severus replied.

"Harry?"

"Um yeah sure." He turned to his dad. "So you wanted to talk?"

Severus nodded. "I do. I spoke to Poppy this morning. She is willing to help us proceed with the plan to rid you of the Horcrux."

Harry nodded silently. Remus placed a tea cup in front of his filled with the steaming amber liquid. He grabbed the milk dish and poured some in his tea. "When?"

"Whenever you are ready, so long as we agree to come to Hogwarts to do so. She insists that she needs to have you in her ward to best insure that nothing untoward were to happen."

"I really hate that place."

"As do I. Lupin?"

"I probably spent as much if not more time in the hospital wing when I was a student as you Harry. If anyone can commiserate with you it is your father and I. We've both spent more than our fair share of time under one stern witch's care or another. Poppy is a good deal nicer than the witch that covered the hospital when your father and I were students."

Severus groaned at the memory of the brass woman. "Harsh does not begin to cover that woman's care. She cared not how much pain she submitted you to in the guise of healing you. Bloody sadist if ever there was one."

Harry laughed at the two older men rehashing the not so tender care they had received in the Hogwarts hospital wings over the years. "Okay so we're Hogwarts bound. I assume we can't do this till there are no students around?"

"Not at all, we could go now if you wish. Poppy has a private area that is for the professors and one for quarantined students. Either would serve as a place this could be done away from the public eye. Your presence would be well hidden if that's what you would prefer."

Harry nodded his head vigorously, "I would."

"Then it is left up to you for when you would like to do this. Don't feel you have to rush this. You do not. You may take your time. I know what a terrifying idea this must be to you."

Harry shook his head. "No it's not. I've had months to deal with the idea that I was going to have to die to allow someone to kill Voldemort. This is so much easier to digest; you just wouldn't believe it."

"I'm sure it is," Severus said with a slight sadness in his voice. After all no child should ever have to face the concept that they have to die without being able to reach for their dreams. Poor Harry had done so time and time again; always being forced into taking on tasks too large for his ability yet somehow always coming out on the other side.

"Well Harry it's all up to you now," Remus said.

"How about next weekend? Madam Pomfrey isn't normally so busy on weekends. Less idiots trying to use her to skip class I guess." 

Remus laughed. "Are you trying to say you've never faked a case of stomach flu to avoid a class or two?"

Harry blushed bright red and floundered for his words, "I… um… um."

Remus laughed harder. "It's okay Harry. I'm certain we all know you have. I don't think we could consider you a normal teen if you hadn't."

"Quite," Severus agreed with a smirk. His obsidian eyes twinkling not unlike Dumbledore's once had. "If you are certain, I shall floo her this evening to inform her."

Harry nodded his head. "That it?"

"It is," his father replied.

"Back to the theory of transfiguration then," Harry said as he got up from his seat. He sat his now empty cup in the sink and turned for the door. Just before he reached the door he stopped and looked back at the two men. "Um yeah would you mind if I went somewhere this weekend? Just for like Saturday."

Severus quirked and eyebrow, "Do you plan to return home if I allow you to?"

Harry laughed. "Yes dad."

"Where are you going?"

Harry chewed his bottom lip. "I was thinking I might like to visit Godric's Hollow before… you know."

Remus drew a sharp breath. He had personally wondered how long it would take Harry to ask to see where he spent the first year of his life… where his mother and adopted father had died. "Harry there is nothing left there but grown over rubble."

Harry looked at Remus, "I know, but I just think I should go. I don't know why I just do."

"You may go," Severus said quietly. "On one condition."

"Name it."

"That someone goes with you. I don't like the thought of you out alone. You're a target no matter if I like it or not. I would prefer you return home in one piece."

"Sure I'm sure 'Mione will go with me. We've talked about it before. We planned to go after school was finished but yeah with things the way they are right now I can't put it off any longer. And we both know, where Hermione goes Draco goes," he said with a silly smile.

"I understand," Severus replied. "But Harry, know that what you go to see isn't what you want it to be. It's a graveyard now; a long deserted and mostly forgotten remnant of war."

"He's right Harry. There is nothing good left there; just rubble, pain, and empty ghosts of a war-torn past and a nonexistent future." Remus's voice was tight as if on the verge of tears. "You may have lost your mother there, but your family is here. Severus, myself, Hermione, Draco, and Ron we are your family Harry. It's not the most conventional family ever, but we are none the less your family."

"I know. I don't mean to disrespect that because I honestly couldn't deal with the idea of being without you now that I have you. Yes, even Draco," he said when he father raised a skeptical eyebrow when his son didn't disrepute Draco being included in that list, "but I have to go. I have to see this for myself. Surely you both understand that?" Severus and Remus both nodded their understanding.

Once Harry left the room Remus let the silent tears fall down his face. "I wanted to tell him no but I just couldn't."

Severus nodded. "As did I. But, no matter, we cannot. He is right. He should see it for himself. It might be just the thing he needs to steel himself with for the coming battle. Seeing it might make it easier to do what he must when the time comes for him to face the Dark Lord."

"Vengeance can be a very strong motivator." Remus turned his empty coffee cup around in his hands. "I need something more than coffee."

"I believe there is some rum left in the pantry from rum balls you insisted on making for Christmas."

"It'll do," Remus said as he moved from his chair across the room. He grabbed the bottle from the pantry shelf and grabbed two glass tumblers from the cabinet as he passed it on his way back to the table. He put three fingers in both glasses before placing the bottle between them. "Here's to painful pasts and dangerous futures."

"Here, here." The click of glass against glass rang out in the silence of the kitchen.

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

Two days later Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Harry set out in casual muggle clothing on their brooms to fly to the village of Godric's Hollow. Draco had found it entirely unbelievable that a town named after a founder of Hogwarts was muggle but knew that it had to be as the only true wizarding village was Hogsmead.

Hermione had put up a valiant fight to find another mode of transportation but was over ruled. Finally she agreed but only after Draco said she could ride with him and that he would even cast a sticking charm on her so she couldn't fall from the broom if she accidentally let go of him.

Several hours and more than a few wrong turns later the group found themselves in a village barely large enough for a sign on the motorway. The group shrunk their brooms and stashed them in their bags and set out in search of Harry's former home.

"Well this is quaint," Draco said as they walked down the main street of the small town.

"It's certainly tiny." Ron commented. "It's smaller than any of the places we visited when we were out hunting before Christmas."

"I think it's lovely." Hermione said with a bit of a dreamy air to her voice. "I bet everyone here is terribly nice."

"Hermione you would think a vampire about to drain your blood was nice right up until the moment you died," Ron responded.

"I would not."

Draco laughed. "Yes pet you would. You have more faith in people than most of us do; a bit too much most of the time."

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She stepped a few paces in front of them walking a bit quicker in her annoyed state.

"Well mate you've done it now," Ron whispered to Draco.

"She'll come around. She knows we didn't mean anything harmful by it," he said just a bit louder than he should have.

"I still say you're bed is going to be cold tonight."

"Well I can sleep comfortably knowing yours will be too Weasel."

"Whatever ferret boy."

"Oh you two stop. I would rather find this place than listen to you two bicker on all day," Harry said.

"Who has the map?" Ron asked.

Harry waved the hand drawn parchment in the air. "I do." Bringing the map closer to his face he looked it over. "It looks like we have about four more blocks to go the way we are heading. Then we take a left onto Graylag Goose Lane, Merlin what a name, go ten blocks or so and then a right onto Sparrowhawk Circle. It looks like the house is supposed to be in the back of the U of the circle, maybe four or five houses down on the right."

The group chatted about the small homes and tiny shops they passed. Ron had to be pulled from a shop window that had displayed every sort of muggle candy possible in their front window.

The turn onto Graylag Goose Lane took them into a purely residential area full of tiny cottages that rarely went over one story. There were a couple two-story homes along the street but not more than a handful at best.

"I could see myself living somewhere like this," Hermione said to no one in particular.

"You could?" Draco asked.

"Oh yes. Couldn't you just see it? A cute little yellow house with white shutters, like the one over there," she said pointing to a house across the street. "The children could play in the front yard inside the fence maybe with a puppy or with Crooks. There could be a swing and maybe a sandbox in the back garden for them to play in. With a good charm it could even be set it up so they could play with tiny brooms or other magical toys so the muggles wouldn't notice anything extraordinary."

"Hum, interesting. I never expected you to be the mothering sort."

"Why ever not?" she asked she asked with a vague look of despair. "Do you think I wouldn't make a good mother?"

"No, no. It's not that at all, I'm sure you'll make a wonderful mum," Draco back peddled knowing he had truly stepped in it now. He would have to tread carefully to keep from destroying the witch's feelings. "I just thought you would be more career oriented. I guess I always took you for the type to put off having children till you were established in whatever field you decided to work in. Which is all well; it's a wonderful choice for someone who would like to both work and have children. Better security for the children and all. But I guess I was wrong. It's nice. I'm certain you'll make someone a wonderful mother one day pet; just when you want to be one."

Harry caught Draco's eye and nodded barely to say silently that he thought the blonde had done his best to talk his way out of that mess.

"Aw Draco." Suddenly Draco had his arms full of his girlfriend. "That was so sweet."

Draco looked over her shoulder at Harry and Ron with a puzzled look. Both looked back at him and shrugged. All three boys silently wrote it off to the oddities of women, specifically the one in Draco's arms.

The group continued on and soon made the turn onto Sparrowhawk Circle. The street was a bit longer than Remus had made it look on the map he had drawn out for the group but still none the less exactly as he had made it sound. Sparse houses along a small street barely large enough for a muggle vehicle to travel down. Harry suspected that if two cars needed to pass one another they both had to drive half off the road to accomplish it.

The moment the group began to round the curve in the road it became apparent that the back of the neighborhood had been abandoned. At least one home stood empty and from the look of the chipped paint, the overly tall grass, and the faded for sale sign it had been empty for some time; several years at the very least.

"I can't say I was expecting that," Harry said.

"Me either, mate. Wonder if it's been empty since, well since you know?"

"Looks like it," Draco replied looking at the dilapidated house.

"Come on guys. We came for a purpose. Looking at a falling down old house was not it," Hermione reminded them.

"Well it sort of was 'Mione."

"No Harry we came to see what's left of your home. There is a difference."

Harry rolled his eyes and gave her a sad smile. "Sure 'Mione."

The group continued around the curve in the road. They came up on the deepest part of the curve where the road began to turn back the way it came. In the very back of the curve sat at over-grown but dead empty lot. A chimney stood out in the empty solitude of tall dead grass and even taller evergreen trees. "Guess this is it," Harry said sadly.

"Looks like it."

"It's not what I expected."

"It's not much of anything at all mate," Ron said quietly.

"No it's not." Harry started across the street towards the long overgrown lawn. "Guess we should be glad it's winter."

"Why so?" Draco asked.

"Cause otherwise that grass would be hiding all kinds of snakes and bugs.

Draco grimaced and shuttered at the thought. He personally detested snakes. Something he found completely peculiar considering he had spent six years living in a house whose symbol was a silver snake. Or worse still, having seen his father carry around that snake headed cane his entire life. "Thank Merlin for cold weather and hibernating animals."

"Well here goes nothing," Harry said as he pushed his way into the chest tall grass. He made his way in a good ten feet, the other three behind him with only the resistance of the dead grass to slow him. Suddenly his foot hit something and he feel forward. "Bloody hell," he yelled as he dropped to the ground among the weeds.

"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," he said with a strained voice. "Just tripped, bloody grass hides shit till you hit it."

Scooting back on the ground he looked to see what he had hit. A clump of crumbling brinks sat at his feet. "Found the house," he said with as much levity as he could muster.

"Harry," Hermione chided. "You shouldn't make light."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because my mother and adopted father died here? Because I nearly died here?"

"Well yes," she replied quite steadily.

"If I don't laugh I just might cry 'Mione. So for this once can ya just not fuss at me?"

She nodded mutely all at once feeling like she could do with a good cry for Harry herself. Draco wrapped his arms around her shoulders while Ron helped Harry to his feet.

"There has got to be a better way to do this. Just blinding walking through the grass is going to get one or all of us seriously hurt."

"Maybe a grass cutting charm. I must have seen dad do it a million times. How hard can it be?" Ron asked.

Draco looked at Ron skeptically. "Right, have at it. Just don't cut too much, the muggles might just notice the grass is gone."

Ron grabbed his wand from the pocket of his pants and aimed it towards the dense grasses ahead of them. He flicked his wand silently for a few moments trying to recall the exact wand movement his father had used all those times over the summers. "Okay here goes nothing. Incidere gramen curtus," he said strongly. In seconds a patch of ground fifteen feet round was cleared. The grass sheered to a couple inches off the ground. Bits of brick and wood littered the ground every few feet.

"Ron you did it," Hermione cried. "I don't think I've ever seen you do a charm right the very first time."

"Gee 'Mione way to make me feel inadequate," he muttered in return.

She smacked him on the shoulder. "That is so not what I meant you… you... git!"

"Please you two, not today," Harry said tiredly.

"Sure mate," Ron replied.

"I'm sorry. You're right Harry." She turned to Ron. "What was that wand movement again? This will go faster if we all are clearing spots."

Fifteen minuets later the rubble that used to be Harry's home was uncovered. The only remaining grass was a five feet thick section that bordered the street. The four stood together looking at the remains of the home that Harry had spent the first year of his life in.

"Wow when Hagrid said it was smashed like a pancake I never really believed him," Harry said.

"It certainly doesn't look like it used to be a two story house," Ron remarked.

"It doesn't look like it used to be much of anything," Draco said in turn.

Harry's shoulder's sagged. He had hoped against all hope to find some vestige of his past here but he had been wrong. Remus and his dad were right; there was nothing left here but broken bits of brick and mortar. It was nothing more than a broken dead past that was full of untruths and death. Best left in the past were it belonged. "I'm sorry guys this was an utter waste of your time." 

Hermione stepped up next to Harry and wrapped her arm around his waist as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "No Harry it wasn't. You had to see it for yourself. I know we all understand that. You've got that thing to do next weekend and well it's dangerous. Best to make sure you have closure on things like this before you try it. I understand that. I couldn't go through with it if I had unanswered questions about my life either Harry. You had to do this."

Harry nodded. "I swear to god if I live through this I'm going to make him pay for this."

"We know mate," Ron said.

A sparkle in the rubble caught Draco's eye. He moved away from the group to investigate what he assumed would end up being a bit of broken window glass. What he found nearly made him gasp. There was glass surrounded by a silver frame. The image below the glass moved. The whole thing looked as if it was days only not years old left unexposed. He bent down and picked up the frame, careful to not break it as he pulled it from the rubble. Brilliant green eyes the color of dragon scales and flaming red hair deep enough too look like pomegranates had been smashed over the woman's head looked back at him from the frame. The woman was smiling at something outside the frame, occasionally laughing. "Harry," he called out looking still at the picture in his hand.

Harry walked over to Draco wondering what he held in his hand. Silently Draco passed the untarnished frame to Harry.

He took the frame and gasped when he saw it. Untouched as if it had been singularly protected for so many years his mother's green eyes, his eyes, shown back at him. "Mum." Silent tears streaked down his face as he fingered the glass over the charmed image.

"Wow," Hermione said as she looked over his shoulder. "That beats any of the photos Hagrid or Remus found for you."

"She looks a bit like Ginny, only ya know taller, and less with the copper colored hair."

Harry laughed. "What does that say about me dating your sister?"

"That you like women that look like your mother?"

"It's a well known fact that most men do look for woman that resemble their mothers and to some extent themselves," Hermione said informatively.

"You're just full of useless information aren't ya pet?" Draco said with a mirth filled smile.

"Well one of us has to be," she smarted back in reply.

Draco dramatically held his hands over his heart. "Oh she cuts to the core."

Harry and Ron laughed at the dramatics between the two.

"In all seriousness Harry, she's beautiful," Draco said quietly. Hermione beamed at Draco. "I can seriously see what Severus saw in her. She looks like she has so much life. Slytherin girls just don't look like that. They're all cold and uppity. Hermione, Ginny, and from the looks of it your mum all have this, well I'm not sure what it is but it's addicting whatever it is. It just draws you in and keeps you."

Harry nodded. That's exactly how Ginny had grown on him over the years. And Draco's description of Slytherin girls fit his opinion perfectly as well.

Harry turned the frame over in his hand. "I wonder how this made it out without as much as a scratch on it."

"Probably some sort of protection charm; an unbreakable and an untarnishable at the very least. Must have meant a good deal to her or James," Hermione replied.

"Yeah I guess that makes sense," He replied.

"Ya know if we shift through this mess we might be able to find other stuff that has protection charms on it. I know my mum used to cast them on every bloody thing in the house. Granted she likes expensive stuff and dad was rather prone to tossing things at her when he was mad. She probably did it to keep all her stuff from getting destroyed by him. But still there might be more stuff here that is."

"Are you volunteering to get your hands dirty ferret?" Ron jibbed.

"For the sake of having promised Harry I won't kill you, I'll let that one slide."

"Thank you," Harry said with a laugh. "It's getting on in the afternoon. If we are going to do this, we need to get to it. The flight back isn't all that short."

"It would be shorter if you hadn't gotten us lost," Draco teased.

"Oh piss off. Like you could have done better?"

"Maybe I could."

Harry shook his head and laughed. "Fine on the way home, you navigate."

"Okay I will. Now someone start on the other end of this mess. I'll start towards the back that just leaves the front for whomever."

"I'll take the font," Ron said.

"I'll take the far side," Hermione said before heading across the lawn.

"Guess that leaves me to take this side," Harry said.

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

The group collapsed on the couches in the sitting room of Grimwald Pace. "You're home," Remus said.

"Just. Took ages to get back."

"Why so?" Remus asked.

"Draco got us lost," Harry replied with a smirk.

Remus looked back and forth between a smirking Harry and a pouting Draco.

"It was dark. I thought I saw the right landmark when I didn't," Draco justified.

"Clearly you didn't," Ron quipped.

"Ronald, don't be nasty," Hermione chided.

"Who's being nasty? I'm just telling the truth."

"But you're doing it in a nasty way. Please stop."

"Yes mother," he returned sarcastically.

Hermione glared daggers at him from across the rug. "One day Ronald that mouth of yours is going to get you in a whole heap of trouble. I hope I'm there to see it."

Ron rolled his eyes and dropped his head tiredly back against the couch.

Severus entered to find the four dirty teenagers sprawled across the two couches. "Well you seem to have returned in one piece even if you are in need a good bathing."

"Not just in one piece," Harry said proudly, "but with treasures." Harry reached beside the end of the couch and grabbed up the bag that held the few items they found among the broken remains. Harry dug through the bag till he found the untarnished frame. "You should like this," he said as he held out the frame to his father.

Severus gasped as he saw the face of the woman he had loved so long ago staring back at him. "I had almost forgotten just how beautiful she was." 

"She was a looker," Ron agreed. Everyone chuckled.

"Is this all you found?"

"Nope. There are a few more pictures, not in as good a condition as that one is but still not so beat up you can't see what's going on it them. There are a few odd trinkets and the find of the day," Harry said as he pulled a silver engraved baby rattle from the bag.

Remus's jaw dropped. "Oh my sweet Merlin, I had forgotten all about that."

"It was mine wasn't it?"

"Not just yours Harry. It was your mother's as a child. She was so proud to pass it to you. She insisted on putting it in your tiny fist the day you were born. From that day on it was never far away from you. Even after you were old enough to get up and about and had other larger toys to play with that one went everywhere you went. I do mean everywhere. You ate with it, you slept with it. If you were outside so was it. If you were inside so was it. If you went to the market it was with you. Sirius was baby sitting you one night so Lily could do something, I don't remember what now, but he flooed me in a panic because he sat it down before he took you for a bath and couldn't find it. I stepped through thinking he had just laid it on a table somewhere and was overlooking it. I swear to you it was the funniest sight I have ever seen. He's running around soaked from head to toe from giving you a bath, you're sitting there naked as the day you were born looking at him like he should have given it to you hours before, the house is a wreck with mess strewn everywhere. The moron completely forgot he had a wand that he could accio things with. I was there two seconds when it was in my hand."

Harry looked up startled. "But it's silver." 

"No it's white gold. I thought so myself at first till I noticed it never tarnished no matter how much you slobbered on it."

"Oh okay."

"So yes it was yours Harry."

Severus had noticed the toy as well. Lily had insisted on holding the bloody thing the entire time she was undergoing the effects of the paternity changing potion. She seemed determined that holding it would somehow protect her child within her. For a full two days she had gripped it as if it were her only link to sanity and safety. It was a minor detail he didn't think his son needed to know.


	10. Death and Happiness

**Death and Happiness**

**Part 10 of The Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **__My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please._

_**Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. **_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

Draco found Hermione sitting on the window seat in the room she shared with Ginny when the youngest Weasley visited. "I was wondering where you disappeared to."

Hermione looked up and smiled. "Just reading my mail; Mum and Da are home from Paris."

"Did they have a nice time?"

"It sounds brilliant. Mum went on and on about their trip to the Louver and about some holiday play they saw."

"Sounds like they had a lovely time."

Hermione turned and looked back out the window pensively. After so much time spent together he was beginning to understand her moods. She might be glad her parents had had a good time but he could clearly see she was missing them.

"So, you said they are home. Do they live in London?"

She turned back to him and nodded. On the other side of the city from us yes."

"Tell me about them. Tell me about where you grew up?"

She shook her head, "You wouldn't want to know. It's all terribly boring."

Draco smiles slighting, "I'm finding out nothing is ever boring with you Hermione."

She blushed and looked back at him. "Okay," she conceded. "They are both dentists."

"I don't know what that is."

"Muggle healers who make sure people's teeth are clean, no cavities, that sort of thing."

"Ah," he said still a bit confused at why muggles needed a healer just for their mouths. "Go on."

"Our house, well I guess it's their house now since I don't really live there much anymore."

"It will always be your house. You grew up there didn't you?"

"Yes. As I was saying, it's not large. Not nearly the size this house is. It's just three bedrooms; my parents, mine, and the guest room. There is a kitchen and sitting room obviously. We have a fairly good sized backyard considering the size of most in that area. It's nothing grand to be honest, but it was always home you know."

Draco nodded not willing to tell her that the home he grew up in felt less like home than Hogwarts ever did. In fact Grimwald was the first place he had ever felt himself truly at home in.

The conversation died off as Draco took a seat on the end of the window seat.

"Mom asked if I would have a chance to visit before we return to Hogwarts for next term," Hermione said suddenly.

Draco looked shocked. "You didn't tell her we didn't go back last term?"

"I didn't have the heart to tell them. They've always expected the best from me. Before I got my Hogwarts letter I always heard them say how I would grow up to be just like them; the perfect dentist, with the perfect practice, the perfect home (preferably three blocks down the street from them)… then later on the perfect family. My Hogwarts letter came and everything changed. Suddenly it was how I would be the perfect witch. I've always worked to live up to that. I couldn't just tell them I was leaving school before I even graduated. I didn't know the headmistress would allow us to continue our education away from the school. So I just didn't tell them."

"Then what did you tell them in all those letters?"

She looked up sadly, "Mostly lies. It was easy. I just regurgitated everything I've ever written for the past six years about how classes were going, the gossip that Ginny would write in her letters to us, complaints about the replacement potions teacher who didn't know his cauldron from a soup pot. Those sort of things mainly," she said as she turned away, "A bit about you."

"Oh," he said quietly. "So are you going to go?"

"I want to."

"Then do it."

"But Harry? I need to be there for him. He's going this weekend you know."

"He said he didn't want us there. He didn't want us to see that."

"But what if?"

Draco silenced her with a shake of his head. "Don't think that. It won't happen. He's got Severus, Lupin, and Pomfrey, and even McGonagall. He'll be fine. His dad would never let anything happen to him. Go while he's at Hogwarts. Try to forget what he's doing. It'll be easier on you if you do. It's got to be better than sitting around here worrying yourself to death over it."

"I can't abandon him Draco. He's my best friend."

"You're not. He's giving you an out. He already told you he doesn't want us there. Don't give him more to worry about than he's already got 'Mione. Go home, visit your parents, and let Harry have the peace of mind of knowing that you are happy while he's doing this."

"Are you going?"

"To Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Yes."

"No. I already told him I wouldn't. We've done the whole make peace thing even. Not that I think he needed to. He'll be back here bright and early Monday morning complaining about transfiguration homework."

Hermione laughed. "Since when are you the optimist?"

"Since you made me into one?" he teased.

She smiled. "Glad to be of service." Quietness once again engulfed the small room. "Would you go with me?" she asked shyly.

"To your parents' house?"

"Yes."

"I…I don't know. I've never really been around muggles. Well not really. The few we met on the hunt don't count. I never had to actually talk to them. You and Harry did most of the talking when we were around muggles if you didn't notice. You let Ron and me off easy on that one."

"I noticed. It was the few times Ron was quiet," she joked. "It would be fine you know. They would know you're a wizard and that you don't know a lot about muggles. I think they are fairly used to it by now to be honest. Though I've never been able to practice magic at home before so it's not like they've really seen me as a practicing witch; it would probably be more of a put out for them than us. After all, aside from what they have seen in Diagon Alley they haven't really seen much if you don't count moving pictures and flossing Stringmints."

"I still don't know Hermione."

"Please. I would like them to meet you."

Draco looked up and saw the sincerity in her eyes. "You would?"

She nodded. "I would. I just know they'll love you."

Draco laughed. "You know this entire conversation is a bit surreal for me don't you. A year ago I would have cursed you for saying something like that."

She shrugged. "A year ago you were a different person. You've grown up Mr. Malfoy," she said with a mirthful smile.

He nodded, smiling, "Yeah I guess I have."

"So will you go?"

"How long are you staying?"

"For the weekend maybe," she said uncertainly. "They won't get off work till six tomorrow. If we go over in the afternoon we can be there in time for dinner out with them. Every Friday night they visit their favorite Italian restaurant down the street from our house. I'm sure you would love it. We could stay with them tomorrow night, spend all of Saturday with them, and then come back here Sunday before Harry gets back Monday.

He thought about it then began to slowly nod his head. "Yeah okay, as long as Severus doesn't have too large of an issue with it. Sure, I'll go. You promise they won't want to kill me or something? I know you must have told them some nasty things about me over the years."

Hermione blushed again. "Yeah I have. Sorry. But now they know you've changed. I keep my parents informed. You can't stay safe if you don't know what you're facing. They are at risk if for no other reason than they are my parents."

"I'll go ask Severus then."

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"For what?"

"For going with me, I know you still don't really care for muggles."

"I'm getting past it. They aren't all bad I guess. But like Severus says I'll never know one way or the other if I don't interact with them."

She laughed. "He's right you know."

"Yeah I know. The smug bastard normally is," he said with a grumble.

"You really shouldn't call him that."

"I didn't mean anything by it Hermione."

"I know.

**HP HG DM HP HG DM HP HG DM**

"So what are you two doing this weekend? Hopefully not planning to hang around here doing homework the entire time we are…well you know," Harry said.

Hermione shook her head. "No, this is a homework free weekend for all of us. Well for us three anyway. I doubt poor Ron will be so lucky. He makes it sound like his mum's been awfully hard on him about studying."

"More so than you have been for the past six years?" Harry asked with a laugh.

Hermione huffed. "That is just not nice Harry. I'll have you know I only pushed you because I knew if I didn't neither one of you would have taken the time to do anything besides quidditch and getting into trouble."

Harry looked thoroughly put in place while Draco laughed. "Is there ever really anything else to do," the blonde asked knowing it would set his girlfriend off on yet another tangent about the importance of learning.

Hermione started to begin her speech when she noticed the smirk Draco was giving her. "You're just baiting me, you foul git."

Draco and Harry burst out laughing once again. "Of course I am," Draco replied. "It's what I'm best at after all."

"There are days I wonder about how this relationship even works."

"Pure nerve, a lot of patience, a healthy dose of understanding, a dash of forgiveness, and more than a little bit of attraction," Remus said from the doorway with a smile on his face. "It's highly entertaining for the rest of us to watch if that helps."

Draco groaned and Hermione blushed at the comment.

"What are you lot up to tonight?"

"Not much of anything. I was just asking them what their plans for this weekend were since I asked them to not go with us to Hogwarts."

"Ah," the graying man replied.

Harry turned back to them. "So what are your plans?"

"We're going to visit my parents," Hermione said quietly.

"Is that so?" Remus asked.

"Yes it is."

"Hermione has never taken Ron or me to visit her parents," Harry said with mock outrage. "Where is the fairness in that?"

"Well I didn't mean anything by it. I would love for you to go visit my parents with me."

As she began to ramble Harry cut her off. "I was just joking Mione. I know you didn't mean anything by it. Just don't let the muggles eat Draco," he said with a sly grin. Harry turned and dashed from the room quickly as Remus looked on laughing.

It took a moment before either Draco or Hermione realized what he had said. Draco looked shocked and more than a bit frightened at the concept.

Hermione flushed red, "Harry!" she exclaimed as she dashed out of the room after him.

Remus looked at Draco, still laughing. "He really was joking Draco. The muggles won't eat you. I'm certain Hermione's parents are just lovely. I've met them once myself when I went to pick her up earlier this summer. They seemed very nice to me."

Draco wasn't so sure who to believe so he settled for a blank look of indifference before heading off in search of his girlfriend.

**RL HP SS RL HP SS RL HP SS **

"Did Hermione and Draco get there okay?"

"They did," Severus replied. "The Grangers seemed extremely excited to finally have one of Hermione's friends come visit. It seems she's put them off for sometime. The famous Harry Potter syndrome seems to have hit them.

Harry groaned as he pushed the door to the private ward open. Severus followed him in finding Remus already there with Madam Poppy Pomfrey and the headmistress.

"Hello Harry," Remus greeted him.

"Hi Remmie."

"Mr. Potter you just can't seem to stay out of my ward can you? Not even a student here and still I find you taking up a bed in this hospital."

Remus coughed in a poor attempt to cover the chuckle in the back of his throat. Harry grinned. "What can I say Madam? I love it here."

"Sure you do young man. You love it here as much as Albus loved going a day without sherbet lemons, Minnie here going a day without a nice pot of tea, or your father going without his brewing. You may tell that tale to someone else sir."

"Yes ma'am," the young dark-haired man replied with a laugh.

"Well now, robes off. Shirt and sleep pants only please. Then get in the bed and cover up. Did you eat this morning?"

"No ma'am."

"Good. Well I'm going to gather the last of the supplies. I'll be back in just a moment."

Harry nodded and removed the robes he had worn to cover his sleep clothes he had worn over from Grimwald. Severus and Remus gathered near the bed as he crawled beneath the covers.

"So, you ready for this?" Remus asked.

Harry looked around the hidden ward of Madam Pomfrey's hospital wing, "As I'm ever going to be."

"Harry, you don't have to do this if you're not ready. We have time. There is still time to look for another correction to this," Severus said.

"No Dad, we don't. You know it. I know it. The bulk of the wizarding world probably knows it. Time's drawing nearer. An end must come. This either takes care of the last horcrux or it doesn't. Either way something will be accomplished today," he said quietly.

"Harry…"

"You don't have to say it. I know. I love you too, Dad. I have for a while I guess." Seeing the look of awed wonder on his father's face he grinned, "I should have picked a better time to tell you huh?"

Severus sat by his son's bed with a slightly stunned look on his face. Remus laughed lightly before walking away giving the two some time together. Severus gathered his wits. "There is never a bad time for that Harry. I…I…"

"You don't have to say it," he again reassured his father. "I just wanted you to know that I feel the same way."

"No Harry. It's just that I've not had a reason to say that to anyone since…"

Harry cut his father off. "Since Mom; its okay I understand. I miss her too," he said with a sad smile.

"You are one amazing young man Harry. More and more everyday I see a bit more of her in you. Sometimes it's almost too painful to realize. But never for one moment think that I don't love you. I have since the very moment I allowed her to tell me that you were mine. Even when I had to show such hatred for you, I loved you. I hated myself, but I loved you Harry. You are my son. Nothing, I mean nothing, can ever take that away from us." Silent tears once again tracked down his pale face. For the forth time in his life that he could remember he allowed someone to see him at his most vulnerable. For the second time in front of his son, Severus cried. Severus clutched Harry's hand in his and held it tight, willing his love to flow through that touch. Harry smiled his own eyes teary.

From the back of the ward three faces were looking at the father and son, tears of their own silently tracking down their faces. "Well I never thought I would see the day," Minevra said to no one in particular.

"Both of them deserve someone to love them," Pomfrey said as she swiped the tears from her cheeks with a linen handkerchief she pulled from her robe pocket. Remus nodded in agreement.

Straightening herself, Madam Pomfrey walked to Harry's bedside. "Well young man if you still insist then it's time to get on with this. Do I need to tell you again what we are going to do?"

Harry shook his head, "No ma'am. I'm certain I remember."

"You know how risky this is? Mr. Potter I'm serious. There may not be any coming back from this."

"I know ma'am. Can we just get this over with?"

Minevra laughed. "Always so impatient Mr. Potter, one day you are going to have to look into fixing that."

Harry smirked in a way not at all unlike his father's patented smirk. "It's all part of my charm."

Remus burst out laughing. "Harry there are no words."

Harry smiled then looked to his father, "You're doing this right?"

"Most of it," Severus replied.

Harry nodded. "Then let's do it."

Severus stood and reached for a vial of dark potion. Hesitantly he removed the cork from the bottle and passed it to his son. "Drink it all. You'll get sleepy. Allow yourself to go to sleep. It's up to us after that."

Harry tipped the vial to his lips, drinking it all with a grimace. "It could taste better," he said with a grin.

"It's probably best that it doesn't."

"Yeah probably," he said just before he yawned deeply. "Love you Remmie. Love you Dad."

"I love you too Cub. See you in a couple hours."

Severus grabbed a second vial from the tray on the bedside table and lifted it to his son's mouth. "Drink Harry,"

Harry sleepily drank the contents, not voicing his typical complaint about taste.

Severus placed the vial back with the other on the table. "I love you Harry. Have a good rest. I'll see you in a few hours." His voice was choked and strained with the tears he was holding back.

Harry nodded slowly and closed his eyes. Sleep took him almost instantly. Madam Pomfrey cast a spell over him from the foot of the bed. "Erectus," she said clearly. "When his heart stops we'll know." The group gathered around Harry's bed murmured their acknowledgements.

Within minutes Harry's deep sleep allowed his breathing to hallow out to a raspy wheeze. His color quickly paled out making him look more like Severus with his deeply sallow skin tone.

Severus sat heavily to Harry's right side clutching the hand of his only son. Remus moved to Harry's left and mimicked Severus' action.

Harry took one last ragged breath before the charm alerted the group that his heart had stopped. Minevra tried but was unable to stop a sob from escaping at the sudden shrill sound.

As if hit by an Imperious curse, Severus moved from his seat. He grabbed the three remaining potions from the bedside table. "Tilt his head back Lupin." Remus moved up from his seat and did as he was told. Severus tipped the first of the potions into Harry's lack mouth. He rubbed his throat, forcing the liquid down. He repeated with the last two potions before allowing Remus to settle Harry back to a normal position. He lifted his wand from the side of the bed and began a series of incantations. He never once wavered from his task. At the foot of the bed Madam Pomfrey was doing the same with a series of medicinal charms. "It's now or never Severus. I can't keep holding him. The veil wants him to pass."

The man nodded swiftly as he cast the beginning of his final spell. At the last snap of his wand a dark almost oily presence poured from Harry's open mouth and nose. It swirled manically in the air above him before Remus cast one final spell. "Expecto Patronum." His silvery patronus sprung forward towards the oily darkness. It enveloped the presence and in a brilliant flash both the patronus and the dark presence disappeared.

"Move," Madam Pomfrey ordered as she shoved Severus further to the head of the bed. She cast several charms meant to restart Harry's heart. "Now is not the time to be stubborn Mr. Potter," she muttered to herself. Just when the mediwitch began to lose hope the heart alert charm dinged. Then once again it dinged. Slowly, but steadily the ding repeated until its pace increased. "Thank Merlin," she whispered. "He's back," she announced. The group visibly relaxed at the mediwitch's pronouncement.

"How long to you think he'll remain asleep?"

"I can't begin to say," Poppy replied. "His heart's beating strongly and his breathing is nice and deep so it looks like his body has processed the counter potion for the poison. I don't fear any relapses from that. It's a matter of waiting for his brain to reconnect I would suspect. It could be a few hours at the best before he wakes or never at worst."

Minevra nodded silently. No one argued with Severus when said he wouldn't be leaving his son's side till he woke or till Severus literally dropped dead from exhaustion. Minevra returned to her office and Poppy to hers leaving Remus standing beside Harry's bedside while Severus sat on the opposite side. "He'll be fine. He's too big of a fighter not to be."

"I know," Severus replied in a clipped voice.

**DM HG DM HG DM HG DM HG**

"So Mr. Malfoy, our daughter tells me you are the godson of Harry's long lost father."

"Draco sir and yes I am."

"Sounds absolutely interesting."

"It's had its moments," Draco replied cryptically.

"I'm sure it has," Jane Granger replied. "You'll excuse my husband. He's trying to exercise some of his fatherly right to interrogate Hermione's boyfriend. She's never had one that was around for him to bludgeon with questions before."

"It's quite all right. I'm fairly certain that's one thing muggle and wizarding father's share in common. Only a wizard might well hex first and ask the questions later."

Jane laughed heartily. "Not so different. He threatened to go purchase a hunting rifle to meet you at the door with."

Draco shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that item."

Hermione wiped her mouth with her napkin. "They're weapons. You have a metal ball or cylinder shaped projectile filled with an explosive powder (gun powder) inside a chamber. The person pulls the trigger releasing the hammer that strikes a sensitive portion of the projectile, which forces the material inside the projectile to ignite, and the powder explodes. The projectile is shot out the end of the barrel at extremely high velocities. When it hits it can be very dangerous often fatal if it hits a human. The size of the projectile and the type of gun used to fire it are large factors in the speed at which the bullet (the projectile) moves thus how much damage it does. That's just how the basic revolver works. There are many forms of guns, each as deadly as the next."

Draco gasped. "That sounds utterly barbaric; hardly a step higher than bow and arrow."

"More painful than those perhaps but equally barbaric no doubt. Granted some of the more dangerous hexes we employ are hardly considered humane."

"Touché."

Jane took a sip of wine from her glass before steering the conversation elsewhere. "So Hermione, how long are you planning to stay. The next term must begin soon."

"It does. We were thinking through Sunday morning. Enat breakfast then meet back up with Harry and his dad around lunch."

"That sounds lovely dear," Jane replied.

"Your mother cleaned out the guest room last night. Though I'm not certain I consider moving it from there to my office cleaning."

Hermione laughed. "Thanks mum."

"So, Draco was it, are you enjoying your dinner?" Mr. Granger asked.

Draco nodded. "I am. I find it's a nice change of pace. Mr. Lupin, Harry's godfather," he said as he looked at Hermione for confirmation, "is a wonderful cook. As is Severus' cooking. Even Harry and Hermione aren't too bad in the kitchen. But well it's been a hectic week. The meals have been less than stellar."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're just upset because the roast I tried to teach you how to cook turned into beef jerky because you forgot about it when you got caught up playing chess with Harry."

"How was I supposed to know that it would do that if you left it in a bit too long?"

"Well the 'Draco don't forget to check it in two hours' should have been a clue."

David laughed. "Don't worry, nearly twenty-five years together and I still can't cook anything other than microwavable popcorn and boiled hotdogs. I would either starve or live off of take-out if it wasn't for Jane."

"Microwavable popcorn and hotdogs?"

Hermione smiled. "I'll show you later. That would be a lot easier than trying to explain it to you." Draco nodded and returned to his dinner.

A petite woman in black pants and a pressed white oxford with a black apron came to the table. "Will you require anything else?"

"No that will be all Ellie. If you could," David said as he passed the waitress his credit card.

"Of course sir."

Jane hurriedly swallowed. "Actually Ellie, could we get half of one of your famous Amaretto cheesecakes to go as well. Hermione and her friend are going to be with us for their weekend away from school. They might enjoy a slice or two while they are here."

"Of course Mrs. Granger. I'll bring it back with your card."

"Thanks ever so much dear."

Silently the waitress slipped away.

**HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS**

The light moan from the boy on the bed next to him was just enough to rouse Severus from the light sleep he had allowed to over take him. When the second moan came it was stronger. Severus sat up straight in his chair and scrubbed his hands over his face. The lantern by the bed cast shadows over the slightly moving form of his son.

"Dad?" Harry's voice came in a light whisper.

"I'm here."

Harry turned his head towards the sound of his father's voice and cracked his eyes. "Hi."

"Welcome back."

Harry nodded into his pillow. "Did it work?"

"Like a charm," Severus said with a smile.

"No problems destroying it?"

"Not a one. Remus had an impressive patronus. It overtook the soul fragment and destroyed it with little more than a call of his voice. A brilliant example of the charm actually."

"You sound really pleased," Harry said with a smile.

"Of course I am. This could have gone far worse than it did."

"I told you, you can't get rid of me that easily."

"No I fear I'm stuck with you forever," Severus said in jest.

Harry laughed lightly then allowed his eyelids to once more fall closed.

"Are you still tired," Severus asked.

"No energy. Sort of exhausted I guess; like I've gone twelve hours on the quidditch pitch and still no snitch in sight."

"Sounds horrifying," Severus said in a cross between mocking laughter and true concern.

"Nah. I'll be fine after I sleep." Harry opened his eyes and realized it was dark around the ward. "What time is it?"

Severus cast a quick tempest charm. "Just have three in the morning. We should wake Poppy to have a look over you before you go back to sleep."

Harry didn't argue. He just nodded his head and waited for his father to fetch the matronly witch.

Moments after Severus left the room he returned with the witch in tow. "Well Mr. Potter you do look a sight better than you did some twelve hours ago. Now let's have a look and make sure everything is as it should be."

The mediwitch cast several medicinal charms over Harry, tutting quietly to herself as she worked. She left the room and returned with two vials of potion in hand. "You, young man are severally depleted." She passed him the first vial. "Drink; it's for your natural vitamin and mineral levels. I suspect the poison then the antidote is to blame for such low levels of the more basic nutrients not being present in your blood. Nothing a good potion can't cure I assure you. As for this one," she said as she passed him the second vial and taking the first, "this one is to help you build back up some energy while you sleep. Get a more quality rest this time around so you don't wake up feeling like a flobberworm next time. I would normally give you a spot of sleeping potion, but after the overdose you had of it this afternoon I don't believe that would be very wise so you'll just have to count sheep or have Severus here fetch you a cup of warm milk if you have trouble going back to sleep." The witch grabbed the second empty vial from the young man. "Now off to bed, both of you. Yes Severus, I mean you as well. You've sat vigil by his bedside all day. It's time for you to rest as well. I expect closed eyes and soft snores out of both of you when I make my morning rounds," she said briskly as she moved out of the room. "I mean it Severus," she called over her shoulder as she walked out the door and pulled it closed behind her.

"That woman," Severus muttered to himself.

"Cares about you," Harry said. "She's a mediwitch Dad; don't expect her not to worry over you. It's her job after all."

Severus looked at his son. "When did you get so smart?"

"When you killed me," he replied with a smirk and a laugh. Severus's face turned blank. "Dad I was just joking. It worked. You did what you had to do. I'm fine. No lasting harm done."

"It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life Harry."

"I know Dad. I'm sorry I had to put you in that position."

"You didn't. The Dark Lord did Harry. Even if he is unaware of it. I'll seek my revenge against him in time."

"Dad I plan on seeking revenge for a lot of people, myself included."

"Not by yourself. You will not stand alone Harry. I swear it, so long as there is breath in my body, I'll do anything I can to help you win this fight."

"Thanks Dad."

"No need. It's what a father does for his son Harry. We stand up for our sons and fight."

Severus gave his son's hand one more squeeze before dropping it back to the bed. He moved from the chair to lay down on the bed beside Harry's. "Good night Harry."

"Night Dad."

Harry smiled. Life was good. The last horcrux was officially destroyed. He had three very good friends if you counted Draco who he knew he could trust with his life. He had a father. A father; the novel concept just seemed to amaze him even now. His eyelids drifted shut and a smile graced his face. Yes life was definitely looking up for Harry Potter.

**DM HG DM HG DM HG DM HG**

Hermione, Draco, and Hermione's parents all gathered in the living room with Hermione and Draco's bags by the door. "Thanks again Dad. I just love this," Hermione said as she pointed to the fine cashmere sweater she was wearing that her father had given her for Christmas.

"I'm glad you like it. You know how much I detest going shopping with your mother. So here she has me traipsing all over Paris with my credit card in hand just waiting to spend, spend, spend. She drags me in this shop and there it was. It just reminded me so much of you that I had to buy it.

"It's beautiful Da."

Jane smiled and enveloped Hermione in a hug. "You stay safe dearest. I know things aren't too settled in your world right now. Keep us informed. You know we'll do anything to help you that we can. I might not be able to do magic, but I can cook or something."

"Thanks Mom," Hermione said with a smile.

"Mr. Malfoy, I expect you to take care of my daughter. She's the only one I have. I plan to keep her if you don't mind."

"Not at all sir; I plan on the same thing to be honest," he said quietly to Hermione's father so she wouldn't hear him.

David nodded. "When you decide that for sure, come see me. We'll have a bit of a talk about it."

"Yes sir," Draco replied.

The sound of a taxi horn outside broke the group up.

"Draco we need to go."

"I guess we do." Draco turned and bowed slightly to Hermione's parents. "It was lovely to meet you both. I hope we are able to do so again."

"Well aren't you just he most debonair thing," Jane said to Draco. "We'll see you both again sometime soon I'm sure. Term won't last too much longer. You'll have graduated before you know it. Now go on before your cabbie leaves you. Have a nice term sweetie, Draco."

The group walked out of the house onto the front step. Hermione wrapped her arms around her mother then her father for one last quick hug before grabbing her bag from her father's hand. "Love you Mum. Love you Da."

"Love you too Hermione. Be safe," her father called as she dashed down the walk behind Draco to the waiting cab.

David wrapped his arm around Jane as they watched the two young people get in the cab and pull away. "I do believe that young man is going to marry her," he said to his wife.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they eloped before the end of term myself," Jane said with a wistful smile.

"My daughter would not do such a thing."

Jane laughed. "Just like we never did such a thing David?"

David Granger looked at his wife, kissed her on top of the head, and smiled. "No you're right, she's just like us. They may make it to the end of term unmarried but I suspect they'll be married before Bonfire night this year. Let's hope they at least refrain from making us grandparents till their war is over."

"Indeed," Jane replied.


	11. It's All About the Future

**It's All About the Future**

**Part 11 of The Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **__My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please._

_**Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. **_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG HP SS DM HG**

Hermione sat curled up with a book next to Draco in the sitting room of Grimwald Place. Her head was lying against his shoulder as he curled an arm protectively around her. The book she was trying to read lay open over her right leg and his left but she couldn't recall a word she had read. She tried not to think of what had been happening at Hogwarts while they had been visiting her parents on the other side of London. She had managed to keep the thoughts pushed to the back of her mind while she was in her childhood home. Helping Draco adjust to life in a muggle home was frustrating but rewarding. It had taken up most of her thoughts, keeping her from dwelling on Harry.

But now that they were back it was hard to not think of him. The two had been back at Grimwald barely four hours. From the moment they had set foot in the door they had expected to find out something at any moment. The clock continued to tick away the minutes then the hours without word. They had agreed before the two had left for Hermione parents that there would be no owls. Owls could be traced and no one need know that The Golden Trio plus one had separated for the trying weekend. More so they didn't need word leaking out about Harry's precarious state of being.

Draco rubbed her arm in an attempt to calm her nerves. "We could always go find out. Perhaps the Weasleys' might know something."

Hermione shook her head. "They wouldn't have owled there anymore than they would have owled here."

"We could go to Hogwarts," he suggested.

"We promised we wouldn't."

"No we promised we wouldn't be there when they did it. Surely it's done, one way or the other by now," he said quietly.

She sat up and looked at him. "How would be get there? We can't floo in, neither of us are allowed to apparate, and I refuse to fly that far ever again."

Draco shrugged, "There is always the knight bus."

Hermione cut him a scathing look. "Clearly you've not heard Harry's tale of riding that monstrosity."

Draco gave her a curious look. "No I can't say I have. How did he end up riding it?"

"He ran away from home at the beginning of third year."

"I can't say I knew that. Why?"

"Aside from his abusive aunt and uncle?" Draco nodded. "He got mad and accidentally blew his aunt up like a balloon when she said something about his parents. The accidental magic department had to deflate her," she said with a giggle. "He ran because he thought he was going to go to Azkaban for doing magic outside of school."

"Oh. So he what, packed up and hailed the knight bus."

"It was a bit of an accident really. He packed and left but I don't think he meant to summon the bus. But that's the way the bus is suppose to act isn't it, appearing when you need it and all. The minister was waiting at the Leaky Cauldron for him when he arrived. With his godfather recently escaped from Azkaban things were a bit strained at the time."

"Harry didn't know did he?"

"About Sirius being his godfather? Not at the time. He didn't find out that till sometime that winter. The same day the invisible person had the fight with you in the snow."

"That was Harry!" he exclaimed. "I always knew that had to be him."

"Hermione laughed. Yeah it was him. It wasn't one of his better moments. Finding out an escaped murderer is your godfather is not what most folks consider a bright spot."

"Yeah I guess not." Silently the two sat next to one another for a bit longer before Draco once again brought up the subject. "So wait it out or hail the knight bus?"

"Wait. If we've not seen them by lunch tomorrow then we'll go."

Draco nodded.

**HP SS RL HP SS RL**

Morning dawned happy and bright as the sun streamed through the windows of the hidden ward of the hospital wing. "Well Mr. Potter I do believe you have once again earned that infamous title of yours," Poppy said with a grin as she finished her morning exam.

Harry grimaced knowing the matron was referring to the long standing title of Boy-Who-Lived.

"As he's shown no signs of lingering effects from the poison or of damage from his time flirting with the veil he's free to go home Severus. Harry, do try to remain healthy for once won't you."

"Yes madam," Harry replied with a grin. "Can we go home Dad?"

"Gladly," Severus replied.

Poppy smiled at the two. "Severus do try to see that he gets some rest this week. No running off on wild adventures and the like if you would.

Remus and Minerva entered the brightly lit hidden ward. "I hear Madam Pomfrey is releasing you today Mr. Potter," the headmistress said warmly.

"Yeah," he said as he moved to get up out of the bed still clad in his flannel pants and a gray t-shirt.

"Very well. Take care to not land yourself back here anytime soon child."

"Yes ma'am."

"I've called an Order meeting for tomorrow evening to let everyone know where we stand. With all the horcruxes destroyed the tide has turned in our favor like it never has before. With them already destroyed they pose no danger to the Order or anyone else. It's time for the Order to know so a plan can be arranged to end this war once and for all." Harry nodded. "There is some other business to be taken care of as well so make sure Draco and Hermione are about if you will."

Harry quirked an eyebrow at his former head-of-house then to Remus and Severus when the look on her face gave away nothing of what she was referring to. It wasn't as if it was the first meeting Hermione, Draco, and he had been invited to just the first that he didn't know why he was invited. "Yes ma'am."

"Very well. I've got things that must be taken care of. I shall see you all tomorrow evening," the headmistress bid them goodbye as she turned to once again leave the ward.

Remus smiled at Harry who was stretching. "I've got your robe Harry."

Harry reached out and took the thick wool cloak from Remus. "Thanks."

Severus stood up from the chair he had been seated in. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah 'Mione is probably climbing the walls with worry."

"I suspect Draco is equally as worried but likely covering better than Miss Granger," Remus replied.

"Quite," Severus intoned.

Harry slipped his robe on and followed the two older men out of the hidden ward, through the main ward, out into the deserted hall. Quickly the group made their way out of the castle to the main gates and the edge of the wards.

Not half an hour later the sound of twin pops could be heard breaking the otherwise quiet of Grimwald place. Hermione was up from her seat in a flash with her wand in hand to see who had apparated into the place she had come to think of as home.

When she rounded the corner of the doorway into the entrance hall she squealed with delight. "Harry!"

The group laughed at the exuberance of the witch. "Hi 'Mione," Harry replied with a smile. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "I was so worried," she cried into his shoulder.

"I'm fine. No better than fine. Getting rid of oppressive soul pieces is really good for a person you know," he said with a smirk that was the mirror image of his father's.

Draco sauntered into the front hall with a smirk. "Well I guess I can't call you evil soul boy anymore," he said with a teasing laugh.

"You could but you would only be talking about yourself," Harry replied equally in jest.

"Honestly boys," Hermione chided much to Severus and Remus's amusement.

**HG DM HG DM HG DM HG DM**

Madame Pomfrey suggested to the Order that the younger ones, now new to the Order, should be trained in at least the most minor of healing medicine to aid the war effort. Therefore, a group established to train the newest members of the order in healing magic. Hermione had taken to visiting the mediwitch on Saturday afternoons late in January for private tutoring in medicinal magic. The boys had all declined the option in favor of working more on defensive and offensive magic that seemed more needed as attacks by the Dark Lord became more and more frequent.

A small group that included Ginny and a few other select students that had previously been part of DA where invited to join Hermione and surprisingly enough Tonks who had said that she felt so clumsy that she thought knowing how to undo the damage she did to herself daily might just been a good thing. The group met at the cottage that the headmaster had willed to Harry in Hogsmead to keep Hermione and Tonks from being seen regularly at Hogwarts.

All too soon the regular meetings had somewhat caused the cottage to be converted into an almost working clinic of sorts. The idea was one that kept lurking in the back of Hermione's mind. Outside of St. Mungo's, the only medical facility Hermione knew of was the hospital wing at Hogwarts. The muggle world was littered with private offices that one could visit if they wished to venture outside of the established services but the wizarding world wasn't. If one was in need of medical attention they were directed to the wizarding hospital hidden in London.

After some discussion with Draco and research on her own behalf she had discovered that all countries wizarding populations seemed to operate in the same way. If you became a mediwitch or wizard you more than nine times out of ten going to work for the one hospital in your country, save for America, Canada, or Australia where there were apparently several due to the size of the respective countries. Small office practices just didn't exist in the wizarding world.

The thought of a small clinic in Hogsmead or even Diagon Alley appealed to her greatly after realizing that was much what Harry's cottage was beginning to look like as the mediwitch brought more and more supplies from Hogwarts to teach the small group with.

It was with that thought in mind that she finally approached the mediwitch late in February about training as a mediwitch after her NEWTS. The matronly woman had been thrilled and had suggested that if Hermione were open to it she would be willing to bring the girl on as an apprentice in lieu of the formal and rather lacking course offered through the London hospital if the headmistress would agree to it.

The headmistress hadn't given even a seconds hesitation in agreeing so long as Hermione was open to it. Hermione in turn jumped at the chance to apprentice with what she considered to be one of the best mediwitches in the whole of wizarding Britain. Unofficially the training that Madam Pomfrey was giving to the small group was just basic magical first aid but for Hermione it was the beginning of an apprenticeship that otherwise wouldn't have started for four months in any other situation.

The first two weeks of March had rolled in warm but blustering. Sitting in the front of the low fire in the sitting room that doubled as teaching area of the cottage Hermione contemplated the idea of a small clinic in the home. She could see herself running a small practice in a place like this, much like her parents own dental practice. The sitting room would be the perfect waiting area with a desk in the corner for a secretary to keep track of appointments and the like. Each of the three bedrooms would be perfect for exam rooms. The kitchen could make a very nice potions lab if she were to need it. Even the bath available made the idea more pleasing since she would have the benefit of being able to shower or bath if she needed to leave quickly instead of returning home before being somewhere in the evenings.

She couldn't help but wonder if Harry would lease or sell her the cottage so she could turn it into the dream practice she had envisioned as she sat taking a break from the full day of medwitchery. She knew he had grown fond of Grimwald despite his previous aversion to living there. Though having his father there and the removal of Mrs. Black's portrait she suspected had a great deal to do with that.

Even still he had another cottage near Diagon Alley that the headmaster had given him. Then there was the property that his parents' home had stood on. There were two lesser known Black homes that Draco of all people had informed him should be his. Upon further discussion with the goblin at Gringotts it turned out they were his along with not only Sirius' vault but the Black family estate vaults as Bella lost right to them when she had been sent to Azkaban. More surprisingly he apparently also owned a bit of real estate in America that his parents had apparently bought on a whim to build a vacation home on but had never gotten the chance to do so. The plans were still filed with the bank. Everything right down to the fixtures had been picked but that fateful Halloween night had happened and the project halted before it even began. He wasn't lacking in places to live. She was fairly certain if she decided it was what she really wanted Harry would be more than willing to help her achieve it.

Miles away while Hermione contemplated the future of her own practice little did she know that someone was contemplating another aspect of her future.

The four male inhabitants of Grimwald Place plus the youngest male Weasley had spent the morning dueling in the room that Harry and Draco had converted from several smaller bed rooms into one large spell practice room that still could double as an almost dorm-like bedroom if the need ever arose.

Harry had called a break to their dueling practice and had gone with Ron and Remus downstairs to get something to eat and drink leaving Draco and Severus still in the training room.

"Severus, can I ask you a question?"

"I believe you already have," he said with a smirk, "but you may ask another if you are so inclined."

Draco shook his head but continued on anyway. "Would you have married Harry's mum if you could do things over?"

"Without a moment's hesitation," Severus replied sadly. "But alas that time has come and gone. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"Poppycock. You asked with a purpose in mind, what is it?"

"I was just thinking is all."

"Clearly, but I wish to know what you were thinking of that could have prompted that question."

Draco flushed pink, "I was just wondering how you knew she was the one is all. It's nothing."

"Hardly nothing, more like everything Draco. I honestly don't know how I knew Draco. Clearly I didn't realize it till it was far too late to do anything about it. It's a mistake I'll regret till the day I pass through the veil I can assure you." The two continued on in silence for some time before Severus broached the topic again. "May I assume that your relationship with Miss Granger is what brought this line of questioning about?"

"Yeah I guess."

"Contemplating your relationship's longevity then?"

"A bit," he replied, his face once again flushing pink.

"There is no need to be embarrassed by such. There is a time in most people's lives where they face the same question Draco. It's not wrong to ask for advice if you seek it."

"I can't imagine life without her in it. Every dream I have of the future past this war includes her but I have no clue if it's true emotions or some infatuation that is going to pass in time. I know nothing about making commitments for the long-term. I've always avoiding getting into anything that was meant to last."

"That's not true. Whether you knew it or not you committed yourself to your house when you entered Hogwarts as a child. The same when you were put on the quidditch team. It may not be the same but you have experience with commitments."

"Both of which I have broken as I'm not at school."

"You are totally missing the point Draco."

"Which is?"

"That one must follow their heart no matter the risks. Don't put off what you desire for what you fear. A healthy dose of fear of commitment is better than no fear at all. I can tell you this though Draco, if you can't imagine your life without her in it then act now. Don't put off for later what you can do now. Times are far too precarious for hesitation. I know you are young but love doesn't see age. It sees many things, but age is not one of them. If it did then I know of many couples that would never have been; Lily and I included. Follow your heart Draco, it won't steer you wrong."

Draco sat silently with his head down looking at the carpet for a moment then looked up at Severus. "In that case, you won't mind if I skip out on dinner tonight."

Severus cracked the barest hint of a smile. "May I ask why?"

"You can't ask a woman to marry you without speaking to her father first."

"Quite, at least take Harry with you. I still don't feel comfortable with either of you out alone."

Draco shook his head. "I can do that." Draco stood up from his seat. "I'll go find him and as soon as we're clean, we'll head out. Cover for me with Hermione please? I don't want her to know if you don't mind."

Severus nodded with the rare full grin on his face. "She'll know not a word from me."

"Thank you," Draco said clearly thanking his godfather pseudo father for not just covering for his absence but for helping him make his final decision about his relationship with Hermione.

"Of course," Severus replied quietly.

Draco left the room as if his pants were on fire determined to find his former enemy turned brother. He called out to Harry as he dashed down the steps in search of the dark-haired person in question.

"Yes," Harry replied when Draco found him in the library bent over the review pages from Fourth Year History of Magic.

"I need you to do me a favor. Severus won't let me out of this house if you don't come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To see someone."

Harry rolled his vibrant green eyes. "Hermione would hex your pants on fire if you interrupted her training with Madam Pomfrey. Go talk Remus into going with you. I'm not getting hexed."

"I didn't say I was going to see her did I? She'll be home in a few hours anyway. But with any luck we won't be."

"Okay then if you aren't going to see her, then who? I know it's not Ron you want to see," Harry said with a dark look on his face.

"No I don't want to see Weasel. Now come on, just say you'll go."

"Tell me where or no."

Draco growled. "Fine. I want to go talk to Hermione's dad."

"What for?"

Draco sighed. "Must you know everything?" Harry nodded his head swiftly in agreement. "I wish to get his blessing to ask Hermione to marry me if you must know," Draco replied quietly. "Come on Potter do your worst," he said expecting Harry to fly off in a rage at the thought of his best friend marrying his former worst enemy.

Harry was up off his seat and out the door in a moment calling behind him as he dashed off. "I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."

Draco's eyes flew open looking in the direction of the hallway door that Harry had dashed through. "Well that wasn't the exact reaction I was expecting," he said to the empty room. Quickly he made his own way back out of the room and up to his own bedroom to gather his things for a shower. His stomach rolled with anxious butterflies but he wouldn't let it deter him. Severus was right; he knew she was the other half of him. He wouldn't let their time come and go for foolish fears.

Half an hour later the two were dressed very similarly in slacks and button-down shirts with their collars unbuttoned. Draco's pale green shirt was buttoned tight at the wrists while Harry had rolled up the sleeves of his blue shirt to nearly his elbows.

"You still want to do this," Harry asked as they made their way down the stairs to the first floor.

Draco nodded his head yes despite looking like he might lose his dinner if he had eaten any yet. "Of course I do."

"Okay, just checking." Harry stuck his head in the sitting room door as they passed. "We're leaving."

"Please do your best to remain safe. Stick to muggle transport if you please."

"We will."

"You do remember where you are going don't you Draco?"

"Yeah. It's Saturday so I'm fairly certain they'll be at home when we show up. Hermione said before we went to visit they are rarely out of the house on Saturday evenings."

"Good. Please don't stay gone too long. I don't intend to have to cast calming charms on the witch in question if you two don't make it back at a reasonable hour."

Harry laughed. "Sure Dad."

"Constant vigilance," Severus droned in his best impression of Mad-Eye Moody.

"Always," Harry called over his shoulder as he pulled Draco out of the doorway towards the front door.

The two walked a couple blocks before Harry hailed a cab to take them across London.

"Where to," the cab driver asked as they got in and shut the doors behind them.

Draco relayed the address that Hermione had given their cab driver weeks before. The ride across bustling London was mostly quiet. Draco once again stared ardently out the window taking the sights as the driver took a different route than either the going or returning trips had taken last time. Every once in a while one of the two would speak for a moment.

Before either of the young men knew it the cab pulled to the curb in front of the familiar home that Draco knew to be the Granger's. Their car sat pulled beneath the open carport. "They're home."

"That their place?" Harry asked looking at the quaint home that belonged to the Grangers.

Draco nodded.

"No time like the present," Harry said as he pulled a few muggle pounds from his wallet to pay the driver. "Thank you," he said as he pushed the money at the driver with one hand and Draco out the open door with the other.

"What was I thinking? I can't do this. That man is going to murder me for even daring to ask to marry his daughter."

Harry laughed. "I hardly believe that. You said the man told you to come talk to him right? So go talk to him. What's the worst that could happen? He tell you no? Like that is really going to stop you or Hermione if it's what you really want. Get up the balls and go knock on the bloody door already," Harry said more than a little bit annoyed.

"Potter you cannot begin to understand how stressful this is?"

"No I can't. But I know what it means to love someone. I'm not so blind that I can't see how much you love her. So if you want this, then you're gonna have to go knock on that door and speak to her father or run off and elope. But I would think that would make him murder you faster than speaking to him will."

Draco looked like a deer in headlights. "He's going to ask questions I don't have answers to."

"Such as?"

"Where will we live? What I plan on doing with my life? I could go on if you'd like Harry."

"Well that's easy, take your pick. I've got what five houses and two more plots of land? I can't live on all of them at once. Whatever you want is free for the taking including Godric's Hollow if that's where you would rather build something. Hell the Black properties are more yours than mine since your mum was a Black."

"I can't do that Harry."

"Why in the name of Morgana not?"

"I may not be the lightest wizard on the Yule tree, but I don't take things that I haven't earned."

"Call it a wedding present then. Sod if I care what you want to call it. I'm just saying, it's there for you."

Draco turned to face Harry on the sidewalk across the street from the Granger's home. "You just don't get it do you. I'm not some charity case."

"No one bloody well said you were," Harry replied

"I can't take what isn't mine," Draco insisted his voice raising as he spoke.

Harry quelled the urge to stamp his foot at Draco. "You're being a stuck up prat I hope you know."

"Because I won't take your handouts? I don't think so Potter," Draco replied with a sneer.

Harry shook his head. "We are not doing this here. Not in front of 'Mione's parent's house. Come on," Harry said as he grabbed Draco's arm yanking him. The two walked down the street, Harry firmly holding Draco's arm till they reached a small wooded area. Harry pulled Draco in, shoving his back into a tree.

"What the fuck are you doing Potter?"

"I'm trying to help you and what's with this Potter business. You've not called me that for months. Not since you and me both promised dad we would grow up and act like brothers."

"We're not brothers."

"You're right. We aren't truly brothers; we don't share the same fucked up pure wizarding blood. But by the staff of Merlin we are family damn it. Hell even if James really had been my father we are still fifth cousin's twice removed or some mess. But we do have Severus. He's my father and your godfather in case you've forgotten. He's the same man that gave up his fucking life to save both of our sorry asses more times that Hermione can probably count. Here you are, dragging me across London so you can do something that I know you want to do. Probably the first fucking thing you've ever done purely because it makes you happy and you dodge out because you're too fucked up to take a bit of help when your _brother_ offers it?"

"What do you even care?"

"I care because you are family Draco. Circe be damned I don't know when it happened but somewhere between painful body-morphing potions, trekking across half of the British Isles hunting for items that very well could have killed us all, and dying you ceased to be my enemy and became my brother. I'll be fucked sideways by a hippogryph before I let you turn down a bit of help when I know bloody well you need it. Get your bleached head out of your bleeding arse and just accept help for a change!"

"I can't just take it. I know you mean well but I can't."

"Not even for Hermione?" Harry asked unbelievingly.

"Not even for Hermione. I'll just have to wait till I can get a job somewhere after the war is over and mine and Sev's names are cleared."

Harry sighed, leaning against a tree. He shot back up straight as a thought dawned on him. "What if you paid for whatever property you want? Would that work?"

"I've got no money if you haven't noticed. Until dear old dad officially kicks it I'm screwed out of my birthright."

"Oh you misunderstood. Say I offered it up in reparation for something."

"I'm listening," Draco said his eyes shaded with curiosity.

"If it's compensation for say my casting that cutting curse on you last year, would that work?"

"No."

"Why not?" Harry asked a bit more loudly than he had intended.

"Because we've already been over that. I can't take a house for a curse I've already forgiven you for."

"For everything I did while we were at Hogwarts; all six years worth of trouble."

"If that were the case I would owe you six buildings the size of Hogwarts over anything you could ever owe me."

Harry sagged back against the tree. "You could buy it on credit. Like the muggle lenders, no money down, no payments for however many months," Harry muttered to himself not really speaking to Draco.

"What did you say?"

Harry looked up. "What?"

"You said something about muggle lenders. What were you saying?"

"Oh I was just remembering these bank commercials on television. Muggle banks will let people buy houses with no money down, and no payments for a set amount of time. The interest is normally outrageous but people still do it I guess."

"So a loan?"

"Yeah sorta only no bank. Just an agreement between you and me. You can have Remmi draw up a paper saying it if you like. No interest."

"Name your price."

"Name your property."

"I guess I should actually think about that."

Harry laughed, "You think?"

"Stop being a smart arse," Draco replied.

"Stop being a stuck up prat," Harry countered. "So are you agreeing to this?"

"Yeah I guess. I don't know where I'll come up with the money, but you're giving me time for that."

"Yeah."

"Then yeah I'm agreeing to it," Draco said quietly. "It's not charity if I have to pay for it eventually."

"Exactly. So can we wave about a few cleaning charms and head back to the Grangers before it gets too late to speak to them?"

Draco nodded his head. He pulled his wand and cast several charms to freshen up both his and Harry's rumpled clothes and to remove any lingering bark from their backs before turning and making his way out of the wooded area. Harry followed him without a word.

The walk back to the Granger's seemed to take far less time than either of them recalled it taking to get there.

"You're really doing it this time right?" Harry asked as they stepped across the street towards the walk up to the Granger's front door.

"Now or never I suppose."

"Now," Harry replied with a smirk.

The two reached the door and Harry noticed Draco's hand hesitated as he reached for the brass knocker. Harry pulled his wand and zapped the back of Draco's hand with a small stinging hex. "Next time it will be your arse. Knock on the door already."

Draco mumbled something under his breath that sounded quite like 'bloody nose-about Gryffindors' but Harry wasn't exactly sure.

Draco lifted the heavy knocker and rapped it against the door three times before letting it fall back into place and pulling his hand back down to his side. Within moments the door was pulled open and the two were met with the smiling face of Jane Granger.

"Oh what a pleasant surprise," she said as she stepped back, waving the two inside. "David," she called out. "Draco is here dear."

"I'll be down in a second," came the loud booming voice of David Granger from somewhere up the stairs.

"Come in. Come in. Have a seat. Is 'Mione with you?"

"Not today Mrs. Granger."

"Oh nonsense. It's Jane my dear."

Harry sniggered under his breath as Draco swallowed hard. "Of course."

"Who is your friend dear? I don't recall meeting him before."

Draco laughed remembering that Hermione had mentioned that Ron and Harry had met the Granger's on the platform at King's Cross in passing but clearly with the changes Harry had undergone she didn't recognize the boy sitting on her sofa. "This is Harry Potter ma'am."

"Dear me. Little Harry. My boy you have changed a good deal since I saw you last. I would never have known if Draco hadn't said it. Forgive me."

Harry blushed. "It's no problem I..."

"He just had a bit of a growth spurt," Draco replied for Harry. "It's amazing what good food and eye care will do for you," Draco lied smoothly.

"Indeed. I do recall Hermione mentioning you no longer needed your glasses in one of her letters. She seemed very pleased that she wouldn't have to repair them for you anymore."

Harry blushed again. "I...um...I'm sure you're right. She did seem to be far better at that spell than I ever was."

David came down the stairs. Harry couldn't help but hope Draco would choose to talk to both of Hermione's parents to save him from anymore questions that he was no good at answering.

"Draco, my boy, what brings you out here? Is Hermione around somewhere?"

"No sir. She's in Hogsmead."

David nodded his head. "That's right. She has that magical first-aid course on Saturdays now. So you and your friend just happened to be in the neighborhood," the brown-haired man asked with a slight smile.

"It's Harry and no not exactly. I came over on purpose. Harry's just tagging along."

"Harry? As in Potter? Boy you sure have grown since we saw you last. It's nice to see you again young man."

"Thank you sir."

"So you ventured across London on a perfectly lovely Saturday night just to see us Draco? Mind if I ask why?"

Draco took a deep breath. "No not at all. I actually wanted to speak with you. Well you and Jane if you've got a few minutes."

Jane smiled warmly. "We've always got time for 'Mione's friends. You two settle in. I'll go fix us some tea then we can talk." Jane moved from the edge of the chair she had perched herself on and headed for the kitchen down the short hall.

"Is Hermione doing well?"

"Very well. She's ahead of us by miles studying for our NEWT's and seems to love this first-aid course."

"Sounds like our girl. Always got to be the best at everything that one. Has she mentioned what she's thinking of doing after NEWT's? I know you've got that whole ugly war business going on but surely she's not thinking of putting off whatever her plans are for that. She's not been very forth coming with us in her letters about any plans she may have."

"She's mentioned a bit about medwitchery but nothing solid. I believe she's got an appointment with her head of house to discuss final plans in the coming weeks. Most, if not all, the seventh years do," Draco replied. He knew that Hermione still hadn't told them that they weren't attending traditional classes at Hogwarts anymore and he wasn't going to be the one to rock that boat. Harry cut Draco a questioning glance but Draco silenced him with a slight shake of his head.

Jane rejoined the three men, with a tray laden with tea cups and biscuits for everyone. Draco took the cup offered to him and grabbed a chocolate biscuit from the tray just as Jane spoke. "Well now, what did you want to speak with us about Draco?"

Draco laid the confection on a napkin on his knee. "Well actually."

"Draco my boy, just spit out," David said with a knowing smile.

"Well you see, I love your daughter. I would love to ask her to marry me. I came to seek your blessing."

Jane's face light up. "Truly," she asked.

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh that's wonderful news. Does she have any idea you are here asking this?"

"Not a word. Harry's father promised to cover for our absence."

"Well that was lovely of him," Jane replied.

David smirked over his tea cup. He had been expecting this for about two months. The young man was clearly in love with his daughter and she was clearly in love with him. That said David Granger had no intention of letting said young man get off so easily.

"Well then Draco. I'm assuming you have plans for how to care for my daughter."

Draco swallowed. "Yes sir."

"Well let's have it then. Where you plan to live?"

"I'm not decided for certain. I've got my eye on a few properties to buy. One here in London and one in Hogsmead. Both lovely cottages that a family member owns," Draco said looking slyly at Harry.

"Oh that sounds lovely. Hogsmead is the wizarding village near your school isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh well I would prefer Hermione nearer to us, but you have such quick forms of travel that I guess it doesn't really matter where she is does it? She can be anywhere in the snap of a finger."

Jane took a sip of her tea as Draco replied. "That's true."

David once again looked up with a spark of evil terror when addressing Draco. "So you've got your own plans for what you'll be doing after leaving school then? I would assume you'll have some sort of work to pay for a new home."

Draco smiled. "I intend to apprentice with Harry's dad in potions."

"Apprenticeships in the muggle world aren't typically paid, are they in the wizarding world."

Harry cut Draco off just as he spoke. "In some cases yes," he said elbowing Draco to keep him quiet. Harry had more than enough money to hold them over not that he thought Draco would take it without a fight and possibly more loan papers.

"And no one will see it as a conflict of interests that he's your godfather?"

Draco shook his head. "No family is very important to most wizarding families. Trades passed down via family members are rather smiled upon actually."

"Very well."

Jane smiled and directed the same question at Harry. "You Harry, I don't recall Hermione mentioning anything about your plans. Do you have any?"

"Honestly ma'am I've not given it a thought. My sole thought has been doing what I must to get rid of Voldemort. When he's gone I'll worry about everything else. I've got a house that my godfather willed to me when he passed along with his whole estate and that left by my parents when they passed. I'll be fine till the war is over. I've given thought to possibly the wizarding law enforcement but I'm not overly certain it's something I'll feel up to doing after spending the better part of the last seven years fighting with one version or another of Voldemort."

"Such a heavy load on one so young. My boy I'm sure whatever you decide will make you happy."

The group carried on with their tea chatting about one topic after another. Jane cleared the dishes back to the kitchen just as Harry reminded Draco they need to get back before Hermione started to worry. David pulled Draco to the side. "Come upstairs for a moment Draco."

More than a bit frightened Draco followed Hermione's father up the stairs. David led Draco into the room that he knew was his and Jane's bedroom. David pulled open the top drawer of the tall dresser and removed a small velvet covered box. "When Hermione was a little girl she used to love to look at this." David held the box out to Draco who opened it. Nestled in the box was a beautiful weaving yellow and white gold set of rings, with a princess cut diamond set high on one of the two matching bands. "They were my mother's. When Hermione was little she always said she wanted to wear them when she was married. I'm not sure what you had thought of giving her when you asked her, but I have been thinking since you were here in January that you might like to give her these."

"Since January," Draco asked.

"You couldn't possibly think we didn't see it coming. Her letters have been almost entirely centered on you since the beginning of the year. Then she brings you to visit when we've only ever met her other friends at the station when we've dropped her off or picked her up. It was terribly clear after spending the weekend watching you two together that the time would come when you would reach this step. Jane bet you would run off and elope like we did. Our parents had no clue till a month after we were wed. You've shamed our poor actions by millions coming to us to ask our permission before you even asked her to marry you. So with these let me tell you, I'll be glad to have you as a son-in-law Draco. You'll make a fine husband for my daughter."

Draco's mouth hung open is shock. They had known before he even had. That was just unreal. "Thank you sir. I will do my very best to not disappoint you in that regard."

"All I ask is that you love her like she is the only woman in your world. Everyone, witch or muggle deserves that much young man."

"Yes sir," Draco replied.

"Well then, you best be off. Your friend did mention not worrying Hermione. Let us know when you ask her. Well I'm sure she'll insist on sharing that news with us as soon as possible but still."

"Thank you again Mr. Granger. I'll be sure to see that your mother's rings are well taken care of till they rest on your daughter's hand."

"David, Draco. God willing I'm about to be your father-in-law, you can call me David. And you're very welcome."

The two made it back down the stairs. Draco was given a tearful hug by Jane as she ushered the two off to the cab she had called while David was giving the rings to Draco. "You two be careful now. Harry, dear, come visit again won't you dear. It was lovely to see you again."

"Yes ma'am," Harry and Draco both replied.


	12. Questions and Answers

**Questions and Answers**

**Part 12 of the Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **__My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please._

_**Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. **_

_**No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue.**_

**HP HG DM SS RL HP HG DM SS RL**

The floo flared to life with vibrant green flames just before Hermione stepped through into the sitting room of Grimwald place. "Hello," she said to Severus and Remus who were both seated in the room reading.

Severus looked up with a carefully schooled look. "Miss Granger," he said acknowledging her greeting.

Remus grinned behind the book he was reading knowing that Severus was being more stoic than had become his new typical to cover for the absence of the two young men in the house. Before she could even ask where they were it was best to just direct the conversation elsewhere. "Did you have a good time with Poppy today?" he asked.

Hermione's eyes light up. "I did. Very much so. In fact I believe I've finally settled on the idea of becoming a mediwitch after NEWT's."

"That a more than honorable profession for any witch. I expect you will go far if you follow that through. The medical sect will do well to have you among them I'm certain. Don't you agree Severus?"

Severus looked up from his book once more, "Indeed."

"Do you have any thoughts on a specialty that you might focus on," Remus prompted.

Hermione blushed a bit. "Not so much a specialty so much as a change of the system."

Both older men looked up at her mildly curious. "In what way Miss Granger?" Severus asked.

Hermione perched herself on the edge of a high-back armchair. "Well I was thinking. For the most part if you are in need of medical care you have to go to St. Mungos unless you happen to be at Hogwarts. If you are unlucky enough to have suffered something that would make floo travel or apparating dangerous then you have to hope that someone is nearby to fetch an emergency portkey for you or a mediwizard to come to you. If no one is with you, then you're forced to wait out an owl to deliver your request for assistance or possibly a floo call if you're near one you can.

It's a bit inconvenient for us if we need medical care. My experience with the muggle medical system is long since lacking as I've not been in need myself in years. I know that's it's terribly flawed but they don't force all their patients to attend one facility."

"No they do not, but they also have slower forms of transportation than we do," Severus interjected.

"True," Hermione replied, "However as I was about to say they also have smaller offices, clinics that a person can go to for minor needs and the basic health care that is non-emergency related."

"Curious," Severus said with a nod.

"I believe I see where you are taking this," Remus said with the hint of a glint in his eye. "You believe the wizarding world could take a page from muggle's system and have more than one facility to care for patients."

"Exactly. Nothing nearly the size of St. Mungo's mind you. Just a small clinic in wizarding areas. Hogsmead for example could certainly do well with a small clinic that the residents could go to instead of having to travel all the way to London."

"That is quite the idea you've got there Hermione. I'm sure if you put your mind to it you could pull it off."

"I've got the perfect idea but no way to put it in place. I've no location to set it up and not nearly enough funds to buy both a home for myself and a place for this clinic. My grandparents left me some money in a trust when they passed away but it's not nearly enough to both set myself up and this clinic."

Severus coughed knowing Draco would never in a million years allow a witch provide a home for them. Remus clearly thinking along the same lines smiled slightly. "Oh I wouldn't worry about it just now. You've still got months till your NEWT examinations and still two years of training with Poppy if you have accepted her offer to apprentice. I believe you've got more than enough time to make any decisions about how one might come up with the funds to set this dream venture up. You might talk to Poppy. She would probably have a wealth of suggestions that could make this easier for you to plan out."

"Yeah I know," Hermione said disappointedly.

"Miss Granger I agree with Remus. The idea is more than noteworthy. Speak to Poppy, perhaps even Minerva. I'm sure both witches would be glad to share whatever insight they may have with you. Your parents are muggle practitioners are they not? Certainly they might be able to offer up their own suggestions that you may not have already taken into account, such as the way of experienced persons verses those still learning their art."

"I believe you're right. I'm going to head up and write to them now. At the very least my decision to follow medwitchery is firm. I'm certain my parents would love to know that."

"Of course they would," Remus agreed.

Hermione bounded out of the room with a purpose in mind. As soon as her footfalls were heard dashing up the creaking stairs Remus burst out laughing. Severus cut him a scorning glare. "What are you laughing at so asininely wolf?"

"Hermione. I expected her to grill us at any moment about the boys' whereabouts. But she's one single minded witch. One comment about her training and she totally forgot to ask after them."

"She can be singularly focused when she is interested in a subject. I hope Draco knows what he's getting himself into. If she intends to see this through, she's not going to be bearing him heirs any time in the next ten years."

"Something tells me that is the very least of his concerns at this moment. Though who knows what questions Mr. Granger asked of him. The topic of children may well have come up. I hardly expect he would have thought of such before he decided to go about this in the formal way."

"Hardly. I don't think he's thought of any of the realities of married life. However, with Miss Granger as a partner, I highly doubt that will go without thought before any bindings were to happen."

"Agreed," Remus said as he picked his book back up.

Another hour passed before the sound of the front door opening proceeded the animated sounds of Harry and Draco talking.

"Will you just stop arguing already, I'm not changing my mind Harry. Either you allow me to pay for it or I'll not take it," Draco said loudly. "I thought we agreed on that before we visited David and Jane."

"We did. But I thought you might see reason after you had gotten a firm yes from her parents," Harry replied.

Remus and Severus looked up from their reading materials both confused by the snippet of conversation they were hearing from the hall.

"How difficult is it to understand that I will not accept your pitied handouts. I am more than capable of taking care of myself and any future family I may have. I do not need nor want anything that I haven't earned for myself. I've spent far too many years taking what wasn't due me; I refuse to continue to do so."

Harry growled in frustration as he walked into the sitting room. He tossed himself down on the end of the couch Remus was already sitting on. "Fine then, give me a few days and I'll let you know what I want for each of them."

"Thank you," Draco replied sarcastically.

Harry rolled his eyes and turned to Remus and Severus. "So how was your day?"

"Quiet," Severus replied. "Would either of you care to explain just what you were arguing over so loudly just now?"

"Nothing important," Draco replied nonchalantly as he seated himself in the high-back chair nearest the doorway.

"You can't expect either of us to believe that, can you?" Remus asked with a smile that reached his eyes.

"Really Remus it was nothing. We just see a particular topic completely different. It's not likely to ever change so there is no point in bringing it up again."

Severus raised an eyebrow from behind his book as Remus pushed on. "You'll never know if you can reach an agreement if you don't discuss it. Perhaps with your father and me here we can act as mediators for whatever you seem to be disagreeing about."

"No thank you. I am just as pleased to let this topic remain as it is thank you Remus," Draco replied annoyance clearly marked in his voice. Quickly he shifted the topic of discussion before Remus or Severus could continue on their quest to discover what had caused him and Harry to argue as they had come home. "Is Hermione home yet?"

"She is. I do believe is in her room drafting a letter to her parents about her latest plan to better the wizarding world. Perhaps asking for their suggestions as muggle healers," Severus said.

Much as Remus and Severus had looked at the young men's discussion Harry and Draco gave confused curious looks to Severus. Harry was the first to speak. "What crusade is she up in arms about today? Please tell me isn't not elf welfare again?"

Severus shook his head. "Thank the gods, Merlin, and Morgana it is nothing of the sort. In fact I do believe Miss Granger has found her calling in life."

Draco looked up highly interested at his godfather's words. "Well what is it?"

"She has..."

"No, Severus, she should tell him. I'm certain Hermione would feel a bit put out to not be the one to share her idea with Draco. Considering the state of things I would think you would agree."

Severus scowled then grudgingly agreed. "It is better to hear things first hand. Remus is correct. If you both wish to know, I'm certain she would be quite happy to fill you in on all the many details herself. But not before you tell me how your trip went," he said slyly.

A blush creped her Draco's neck and face. "Not badly."

"Then you have her father's blessing?"

"I do," Draco said solidly.

Remus smiled. Even Severus allowed himself the rare smile. "Have you decided when you are going to ask her," Remus asked.

"I had thought to wait till summer, but I don't know that waiting that long is such a good idea. I almost feel like I should ask her before things get out of hand with the war."

"Might I make a suggestion," Remus asked.

"Yes," Draco replied.

"The vernal equinox is little over a week away. As the celebration of new life it seems like a very appropriate time to make a new beginning such as this. It's not as if you have to marry her right away. If you chose to ask her sooner rather than later you can be afforded as long of an engagement as you would prefer. Though, that said, you are both of legal age so the engagement could be as short as you might desire as well."

"All well and good but I don't have nearly enough money left from what mother was able to slip to Severus to cover the type ring I would prefer to give her. However I don't see myself capable of garnering a job before the end of the war so maybe this has all been moot anyway."

Severus gave Draco a disapproving look. "Draco I believe I warned you about letting things slip away. If you believe Miss Granger is so petty as to want the largest diamond or the most brilliant ruby then you heard nothing I had to say to you earlier. A woman like Miss Granger may enjoy a bit of finery from time to time, but the lack there of will not deter her if a long-term relationship is what she desires."

Harry growled low in his throat at the return to the topic that had resulted in him and Draco arguing upon their return home. Remus turned to look at Harry when he picked up the sound with his overly sensitive hearing. The corners of his mouth turned up. 'So that's what they were arguing about. Harry had been trying to give him something, money perhaps, but Draco had adamantly been refusing,' he thought.

"I do believe your godfather is correct Draco. I've never been a particularly rich man myself but I find that things work themselves out in their own way. Not always to our particular pleasure but if we are willing to humble ourselves from time to time we might just get what we desired all along. Don't let opportunity slip away for foolish reasons. You'll forever regret it if you do. Take the word of men who completely understand it. Both Severus and myself have lost things due to our own stubbornness and foolish thinking."

"I'll keep that in mind," Draco said as he rose from his seat. "I'm heading up to find Hermione." He left the room rather quickly. It took no genius to realize he was uncomfortable with the discussion at hand and had taken the first opportunity to leave before it had gone any further.

Remus shook his head with a slight grin. "Well Harry are you going to tell us what you were arguing about when you returned home or do you plan on letting your father and I guess?"

"Draco would be furious if I told either of you."

"Not if he doesn't know what we've spoke of."

Harry sighed, his shoulders drooping. "I offered to give him a house or all of them and well all of the Black vaults that Sirius left to me. He flat out refused."

Severus snorted. "You expect him to just up and accept it?"

"Well to be honest, yes. He never seemed to have any trouble with accepting things that he hadn't earned before. How was I to know he was going to have a problem with it now?"

"Perhaps a bit of common sense would have led you to that conclusion. It never occurred to you that he might not have enjoyed being given everything he ever asked for. The only times he has ever been forced to work for his own merit was his classes at Hogwarts. I know it appeared that I always bent to his wishes, but what is kept behind closed doors is often unknown. Much was demanded of him to earn what he had in Slytherin house. It is a lesson I am very grateful to know he has taken to heart."

Harry dropped his eyes to stare at the floor. "I didn't mean to make him angry. I just..." Harry stopped. He didn't know exactly how to say what he was feeling.

Remus smiled sadly. "You've come to think of him as family and you believe despite your aunt and uncle that family should take care of one another such as the Weasley's do?"

Harry smiled. "Exactly." 

Severus nodded. "That's an admirable way to feel Harry. It's one of the many traits that have made you the perfect Gryffindor. However with a Slytherin you have to go about things in a different manner. I know on good authority you were nearly placed in the serpent house so your ability to act as a snake is certainly there. You simply need to employ a bit of subterfuge if you are hard bent on giving these things over to him."

Harry gave his father an inquisitive look. "Any suggestions? Clearly just offering a pick of any of the properties I'm the owner of didn't work."

"No and those you can expect he will not just accept. However if you wish to volunteer the Black accounts and/or properties to him, that's easily remedied."

"How so?"

"Simple. Narcissa."

"His mum?"

"His mum. Narcissa Black Malfoy. She was Sirius's cousin. The middle child of three girls. Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda. Andromeda was disowned for marrying Ted Tonks, a muggle. Bella can't take control of the fortune because of her current status as an escaped prisoner. Which for that matter I never have figured how Black managed to will it to you as such."

Remus interrupted him. "He wrote it when Harry was still just an infant. Just after Harry was born James asked him to be godfather. He was determined if anything should happen to him that he wanted to be able to provide for him in some way. He offered to give half of it to Annie, but she wouldn't hear of it. You know how stubborn she can be. Probably worse than Sirius. He never tried to offer it to her again. Albus checked right after Harry and Hermione helped Sirius escape from Hogwarts to see that the will hadn't been disturbed. As it hadn't, it was still legally binding when Siri fell."

"That does sufficiently account for that then," Severus said.

"I still don't understand," Harry said. "When Sirius was put in Azkaban why didn't it go to Bellatrix. Andromeda, or Narcissa then? I know his brother was already dead and he was disowned as a teen but shouldn't they have gotten it?"

"Annie refused it. When they disowned her she equally disowned then," Remus said with a sad smile.

Severus picked up again, "Bella was imprisoned by that point already. She preceded him to her lovely corner of that frozen hell hole. Narcissa was already married and thusly not at right for it because of the marriage contract her father and Abraxus reached. It should have been taken by the Ministry at that point to be honest. However I believe a meddling old coot may have been the reason it never was and thusly sat dust ridden when Black escaped. The Goblins would have cared not if Black was a convicted murderer only that he was out of Azkaban and rightfully next in line as Annie had refused it."

"So how would we use Narcissa as a conduit to transfer the vaults to Draco?"

"Easily enough. While Narcissa would have been excluded from taking the Black legacy, her children would not have been. In most of the older families the first son inherits the wealth or lack thereof from their name sake. While the second child would be the inheritor from the mother's family if there was none other in line to receive it. In the case of single children they would take up the mantles of both families. I'm certain if we offered to make it worth the goblin's time they would be more than glad to serve retraction papers on you and transfer the Black legacy vaults, properties, and all to Draco."

"Make it worth their while," Harry asked curiously.

"Allow them a cut of the vaults in exchange for them doing a bit of paperwork shuffling. Goblins are greedy by nature. Anything that earns them a knut is something they are more than willing to do."

Harry smiled widely. It was the perfect way to help both Draco and Hermione who Harry was certain would say yes when Draco asked her to marry him. "I suppose I need to make a trip to the bank in that case then."

"Perhaps," Severus said wisely.

**DM HG DM HG DM HG DM HG**

Draco found Hermione sitting at the small desk in the corner huddled over a long piece of parchment, her quill scratching furiously at the page. She hadn't so much as looked up as he entered her room. He lightly knocked the open door to grab her attention. "'Mione," he called.

She looked up with a smile. "Hey."

He moved further into the room and took a seat on the bed that Ginny used when she visited. "When did you get home?"

"Maybe an hour ago she said," as she carefully dipped her quill in the ink pot once more. "I'm sorry I didn't come find you. I really wanted to get this letter written and off to my parents."

Draco coughed lightly, turning his head to the side hoping she wouldn't notice his guilty blush. Once he was certain the rush of heat had faded from his face he answered her. "Oh it's quite alright. Harry and I were working on something anyway."

She looked at him interested. "Oh, what were you doing?"

Draco swallowed and learned back again the headboard of the small bed. "Nothing worth mentioning. Just a bit of a chat."

Hermione eyed him skeptically. "A chat? You two weren't fighting again were you? You've both got to learn to get past your past differences Draco."

Draco shook his head. "It wasn't a fight, more of a difference of opinion. I already said it wasn't worth mentioning. It's already forgotten anyhow," he said half truthfully. "How was your day? Severus implied you had some sort of epiphany today."

She quirked and eyebrow but let the topic drop in favor of sharing her plan for the private clinic with him. "I guess I sort of did. Remember when I told you a few weeks ago that I thought I would like to be a mediwitch?"

"Of course. You've been training with Madam Pomfrey ever since. It's a bit hard to miss to be honest."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's nonchalant manner about the topic. "I know you remember all those questions I asked about medical facilities in the wizarding world." He nodded his head yes. "Well I got to thinking why? I mean there is no reason to limit the number of facilities to only one or two."

"Okay," Draco responded trying to make sure she knew he was listening.

"So I was sitting in the sitting room of the cottage today taking a break when it occurred to me that the cottage would make the perfect small clinic. It would be the perfect place for nearby residents to visit for minor injuries and the like."

Draco smiled. Hermione truly was brilliant. "You want to open this?"

She shook her head shyly. "When I've completed my apprenticeship yes. I don't for the life of me know how I would manage it though. I've got more than enough funds to purchase a flat or maybe even a small cottage to live in but not to do that and purchase space for a clinic or the items I would need to set it up. I've got a few years before it's a real worry I guess if I still want to then, I can work on finding a way between now and then."

Draco took a deep breath. Harry had offered him more than enough to give Hermione all her dreams and he had refused it. He just couldn't bring himself to take other thing that wasn't due him for his own efforts. Nor could he stomach the idea of Hermione purchasing the home they would live in. It was his job to provide for her, not the other way around. He would have to find a paying position to purchase at least the Hogsmead cottage from Harry for her dream clinic and enough to purchase a home near it for them to live in. He would give her the dream she sought if she would marry him. One way or the other, he would work day and night, night and day to provide her with her every heart's desire. "You've got time 'Mione. I'm sure you'll come up with a solution. You always do," he said more brightly than he truthfully felt. He rose from his seat and walked to her. Leaning down from behind her, he wrapped his arms around her arms, leaned his chin on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear. "I haven't the slightest doubt that if this is what you truly want that you'll be able to accomplish it and do so in grand style my dear."

She smiled and leaned her head against his. "You really think so?"

"I know so," he said before leaning in and kissing her gently on the cheek. He released her arms and stood back up. His thoughts swirled. She had picked her path in life. It was left up to him to find his own. One that would make him happy but that would provide the safety net that he felt his future family deserved.

**SS RL SS RL SS RL SS RL SS RL**

Severus set his book aside and looked up at Remus. "Please clarify something for me."

Remus looked up from his own book more than a bit startled. "What?"

"You mentioned something that concerned me earlier when you were speaking to Harry after Draco left."

"I can't clarify if you don't just come out and say what it was Severus," Remus said.

"You implied that Harry's aunt and uncle may have left him with a poor impression of family. What did you mean by that?"

Remus swallowed hard. "You don't know?"

"Know of what exactly?"

"Surely someone would have spoken of it around you. You didn't really think all those things you said to him over the years about being a spoiled brat?"

"No I didn't but I assumed he was well taken care of with Lily's sister." Remus's eyes took on an amber hue that made Severus' skin crawl with frightening reminders of the past.

"I always assumed Albus knew. Perhaps he did. Perhaps he didn't. Don't take this out on me when you hear it."

"Hear what exactly Lupin?" Severus asked in a slightly darker voice than was even typical for the notoriously dark man.

"From what Sirius was able to get out of Harry I know only what he was able to ever discover. Just before Sirius took flight from Hogwarts on Buckbeak during Harry's third year, he offered for Harry to come live with him when he was cleared. Harry agreed having only known Sirius at most thirty minutes, part of which Sirius was acting like the crazed murderer he was accused of being." Remus paused to take another deep breath.

"Go on," Severus growled.

"Over the next year or so Sirius managed to get Harry to admit to having a rather poor life with the Dursley's. Severus, up until Harry received his Hogwarts letter he slept in a cupboard underneath the stairs or so Sirius said. I've never asked Harry myself."

Severus' face grew taunt. Anger radiated around him like a shimmering aura. "Why did no one bring this to the Order's attention?"

Remus choked back the sick feeling in his gut. "Sirius and I tried. I offered to let him live with me. I had a modest flat in London at the time. Albus kept insisting that Sirius was seeing ghosts where there were none and that the blood wards left by Lily that his aunt held were much too necessary. He wouldn't let us. He often put up a fight to even allow Harry to visit the Weasley's during summer breaks for any amount of time. I know for a fact, care of the Weasley twins, that they helped Harry run away at the beginning of his second year, and then he ran on his own at the end of his third. He took the Knight bus to the Leaky Cauldron the day before term was set to begin after accidentally blowing his uncle's sister up like a balloon." Severus rose from his seat and began stalking back and forth in front of the floo. "There's more Severus. Surely it's not escaped your notice that he's always been far too short for his age. Even with the potion Lily used on him, James was no short man. Even now after the reversal he's still far too short. He's been virtually skin and bones thin as long as I've known him. But it was hidden beneath school robes or muggle clothes that were several sizes too large for him at best. My best guess is the Dursley's didn't feed him properly."

"I had figured as much myself over the years but it seemed like he ate all the time at Hogwarts and never gained an ounce so I was uncertain if it was poor habits when he was younger or just an over active metabolism. In anyone else I might have pursued it but I suppose some part of my inner self was just far too fearful of the truth. Minerva mentioned some suspicions of the same when she found me before having Draco and I return here. Seems the signs had not missed her keen eye either. He alluded to as much after he took the potion but I can't recall if he out right confirmed it. Who else knew?"

"Hagrid might have noticed that Harry was small, but likely he would have granted it on Lily's small stature. I suspect the Weasley's might have given the idea a thought on more than one occasion but I do not know that for certain. Past that I believe Sirius and myself were the only ones save for possibly Ron and Hermione that have any real evidence."

Severus closed his eyes trying to reel in his anger at Harry's supposed family. How anyone related to Lily could be of such poor quality just bewildered him in ways he didn't care to begin to analyze. "I should speak to him of this."

Remus gave Severus what he hoped was a comforting look. "You probably should. Enough time has passed Severus; he'll be okay with it."

"He shouldn't be," Severus said as he dropped heavily back onto the couch. "I left him there thinking he was safer away from me. I didn't want him to have the childhood I had. What a poor decision that was."

"You were trying to do what was best for him Severus. He won't fault you for that. He hasn't yet has he?" Remus asked with compassion with an equal part of pain lacing his still amber eyes.

"I could have checked on him but I didn't Remus. I left him there for ten years when I could have just as easily have claimed him as my own. Then even when I saw the signs I turned a blind eye to them instead of intervening like I had with many a child before him. He's my son and I left him to be abused and unloved Remus. I've done exactly what I was trying not to do. I didn't want him to have to be subjected to the terror I was as a child, but my inaction has caused just that."

"Talk to him. If he's going to ever admit everything to anyone, you've got the best chance. Yes he may have some buried resentment about being left there. He may rant and rail till the moon turns blue and the sun turns to blood but don't for a moment think he's not grateful to have you now. Follow your own advice, don't let chances slip away. You've allowed things to do so in the past. Don't let this one. Let the air be cleared and the past put to rest Severus. You both deserve that much."

Severus grunted and picked up the crystal tumbler from the side table. Only a finger of amber liquor remained in the warm glass. He brought it to his lips and tossed it back in one swallow. The burn wasn't nearly enough to kill the tight grip of regret that choked him hard. Numbly the glass slipped from his fingers and fell with a thump into the plush rug at his feet.

Remus watched as a wave of self pity, helplessness, and regret washed over Severus. The look on Severus's face matched the one's he had seen on Sirius' face far too often between his escape from Azkaban and when he had fallen through the veil. He was very nearly almost glad his best mate was no longer alive to see the pain revisited once more.

A week later Severus stopped Harry after one of their afternoon dueling sessions. "Harry wait a moment," he called as his son headed out the room.

Harry stopped and turned back. He rubbed the hand towel he was holding across his forehead to gather the sweat that dripped down his face then did the same around the back of his neck and down his arms. "Yeah Dad."

Severus dropped heavily onto the couch that sat along the wall of the long room. "I was wondering if you might have a moment to talk."

"Yeah sure," Harry replied as he moved across the room and joined his father on the couch.

Severus took a deep breath and centered himself, determined to ask his son the questions to which he wasn't certain he wished to know the answers. "Harry, Remus made a comment last week when we were speaking about your desire to gift Draco the Black estate that left me curious. I was hoping you could explain it to me."

Harry racked his mind trying to recall just what his pseudo godfather had said that would have gotten Severus so curious. He could recall nothing particular at all. "I will if I can."

"That is all I can ask for," Severus replied. "As I was saying Remus made a comment something to the effect of 'you believe _despite_ your aunt and uncle that family should take care of one another' were his words I believe." Severus stressed despite as much as possible with human speak. "It was not a particularly damning comment just one that left me mildly curious. What did he mean by that Harry?"

Harry swallowed then rose from the couch. "I don't want to talk about it," he said once more heading for the door.

With Harry's back still to him Severus pulled his wand and cast a silent shutting and locking spell on the only door out of the room. "You may not, however I do. You know to what he was referring Harry all I ask is that you tell me."

Harry turned back around facing his father. "If you'll pardon me, it's none of your business sir. It's in the past, dead and buried. I never have to return there now. Let it remain where it is."

Severus tried to remain calm and not over react to Harry's cold reaction. "I can't do that Harry. I need to know."

Harry shook his head. "No you don't. No offense but you knew where I was. If my life before this past summer were truthfully something you were worried about perhaps you should have checked on me yourself instead of acting like a coward and pawning me off out of fear. I have put it behind me. I don't hold it against you that you needed time to mourn and then the illusion of my safety. We all do what we have to do. Now if you don't mind, could you please unlock the door? I would like a shower. I promised Draco I would sit down, evaluate the two cottages, and set prices for both so he would have an idea in mind of what he would owe me if he chooses to buy either of them. Even though I know I'm doing it solely to make a nice show to keep him distracted away from what we are otherwise planning to do."

Severus growled. "Harry you can't keep avoiding the topics you don't wish to discuss purely because they are painful. I know from experience that does nothing but cause more problems. I'm simply asking you to explain what Remus meant."

"I don't want to."

"Harry," Severus "You can't just block out the past by refusing to speak of it."

"Just like you don't do the same thing," Harry retorted.

A look of barely contained raged quickly colored Severus' face. "What I do with my life, my past, and my emotions are none of your concern. You can't begin to compare our situations Harry."

"Is that so?" Harry began to laugh, almost manically; his face was red with emotion and lack of breath. "Dad you're a hypocrite. You sit there spouting on that I should talk to you but you won't offer me the same. I doubt anyone save for the headmaster knew everything there is to know about you. I know only a bare drop. But I know, _I know_, your past is dark and nasty but do I lock you in a room and force you to talk about it? No I don't. I never will. I know you don't want to share those details and you shouldn't be made to. One look at your face after I was pulled from your pensive told me that much. So do us both a favor don't ask for things you're not willing to do yourself Dad," he yelled. Harry pulled his wand and began throwing spells at the door in an attempt to unlock it.

"You'll never get it undone. The spell I used was my mother's. No one knows it but me," Severus said darkly, his voice shaking with pent up emotion.

"Then let me the fuck out," Harry screamed. One behind another he tossed blasting hexes at the door hoping to at the very least knock the door off the hinges if that was what it took to get out of the room and away from his father's curious questions.

"No," Severus said quietly. His head dropped back against the back of the couch hitting the wall behind him with a slight thump. His eyes were locked on the ceiling above him. "You're right Harry. I have asked for something I would never offer up on my own in regards to myself. However if me telling you my secrets is what it will take to get you to share yours then prepare to be here a while. It's a long dark story."


	13. Truths Hidden in the Dark

**Truths Hidden in the Past and Darkness**

**Part 13 of the Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **__My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please._

_**Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. **_

_**No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue.**_

**HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS HP SS**

Harry dropped heavily to the mat covered floor after several unsuccessful attempts at unlocking or flat removing the door from his path. His legs were crossed, his hands fiddling idly with his wand over his lap. "This won't make either of us happier dad. Why not let the past remain where it is?"

"Because Harry, allowing it to stay hidden in the back of our minds allows it to constantly fester. I don't wish you the pitied existence I've lived. While it may hurt today, tomorrow, next week, or next year a time will come when you'll thank me for making you speak of it. A time may even come when I can say the same thing to you. After all I've held onto my pain far longer than you have."

Harry looked up, his eyes red almost brimming with unshed tears. "If we do this, there can be no more secrets, no more lies, and no more half truths between us Dad. It all has to come out. The good, the bad, and they ugly all as they say," Harry said quietly.

Severus nodded silently then spoke. "I agree Harry. For both of us to ever have a chance to completely heal and be a family we have to be honest with one another." Severus sat quietly for a moment then started laughing softly, a hint of pity behind each chortle. "Lily would have made us do this months ago. She tried with the Marauders and me once before we finished Hogwarts but it didn't work. Mostly because of me I'm sad to admit. She never tried again that I know of."

Harry inwardly doubted that it was all his father's fault that the intervention staged by his mother had failed. Sirius was never known for his reasoning skills. James was a notorious hot head when it came to Severus. Peter was a toady and didn't do anything James and Sirius didn't do. Remus had been the only one of the four even close to level headed and he wasn't always in the best frame of mind himself when it came to Severus. In fact he wasn't so sure what had changed between his father and Remus that allowed them to live side by side often alone with one another for the past several months without one or both of them suffering from serious injuries.

The two sat quietly for some time before Harry broke the silence. "Are you going to tell Remus everything?"

"I believe he knows a good deal already. He certainly implied as much."

"I don't think he does. Rumors mostly, maybe some facts he got out of Sirius before he died. Ron and Hermione don't even know everything though they know more than anyone else does."

"Do you want me to tell him?" Severus asked quietly hoping his son would say no. The wolf didn't need to become privy to all their dark secrets.

Harry stared hard at a worn hole in the mat beneath him. "I don't think I would be able to go through this again so either you tell him or bring him in to sit through this with us."

"I'm fine with either. It's your decision Harry," Severus said quietly leaving it unsaid that if Harry wanted Remus there he would allow the wolf to listen to his own story as well no matter how much he preferred Remus not hear it. Still it was often best if more than one person knew things like this. He couldn't even begin to recall how many times he had requested one of the other heads-of-house join him and a student when he'd felt the need to intervene in possible abuse cases. He found for most cases it was often liberating for the person in question to speak to more than one person. It almost seemed as if the subconscious thought was that it was safer to have more than one person know the details of their life once they were have to face them. "But keep in mind it often helps to have someone other that myself hear what you will be speaking of." Harry nodded. "You do want him here?"

Harry nodded again. "Yes."

"Very well then," Severus pulled his wand and removed the locks and wards from the training room door. "I shall retrieve him. If you still wish to shower you have five minutes to meet me either here or the library."

"Here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Very well. Do you wish for me to bring back something for you to eat? I know it's been a long day and you've not exactly had a chance to eat in several hours."

"Yes please," Harry said quietly.

"Tea or pumpkin juice?" Severus asked almost as an afterthought as he walked out the training room door into the hall.

Harry looked up and smiled weakly, "Tea please." Harry grabbed the long discarded towel and headed out the room in the opposite direction of his father heading straight for the upper floor bath.

Severus headed down to the lower floor in search of Remus. He wasn't at all pleased to have to share his own secrets with the long time wolf but if it was what was required to get his son to open up then he would cross heaven and hell no matter how much he detested the idea. A quick scan of the library and sitting rooms resulted in nothing. Further exploration found the graying man in the kitchen boiling a kettle of water for tea. "Remus if you have awhile would please join Harry and me in the training room with tea?"

Remus looked up startled having not heard the darker man enter. "Of course. Is there a particular reason?"

Severus nodded, his dark hair swinging into his eyes. "Harry has agreed to talk if I will. He feels he won't be able to go over it again if you're not present to hear what he has to say." Severus turned his attention to loading the slightly tarnished tea tray with milk, sugar, and biscuits.

Remus could hear some unspoken qualifier for Harry's agreement to speak. "What did you have to promise him in order to get him to agree?"

Severus turned sharply to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"Oh come off it Severus. We both know Harry is nearly as private as you are. What did you have to promise him to get him to agree to speak about this?" Remus said with the slightest hint of justified indignation.

Severus sighed. "I promised him the same. I would divulge my own past in exchange for his."

"So he did put up a verbal fight."

"You knew he would," Remus said with an undeniable smirk. "He's far too much like you not to argue for his privacy even if it's hiding injuries to his person Severus." Severus growled at the mention of his son being hurt by someone his considered family. "Besides Severus, I don't recall you ever being too eager to share your life with anyone. Even Lily often fussed that she felt as if you guarded her from your past."

"Excuse me?" Severus asked.

Remus laughed. "You didn't honestly think she kept your relationship that much of a secret did you? There were those that she told; Alice Longbottom and I, for example, knew of your relationship. While I have to admit I wasn't terribly surprised when you left her I was surprised to see her turn to James. I know now she wouldn't have if she hadn't been pregnant with Harry. But still at the time it was a shock."

Severus sneered. "Is that tea ready yet you mangy wolf?"

Remus laughed. "Attack all you like Severus. Whatever you have to do to make yourself feel better and yes the tea is ready," he said as he placed the now filled teapot on the tray. "And for your information I do not have mange or fleas for that matter...that was Sirius," he said with a melancholy smile.

Severus smirked at the notion of Sirius having fleas or mange as he exited the swinging kitchen door behind Remus following him back up to the upper floor training room.

Harry was waiting in the training room sitting cross legged on the large blue mat. His eyes were closed and his hands lay on the tops of his thighs. Severus smiled slightly to himself in appreciation of his son's attempts to clear his mind before beginning this conversation. That bit of forethought might be enough to help ease the emotional tension that the decision was bound to bring on for both Harry and Severus.

Severus set the tray on the side table. Without another word, Severus moved and joined his son on the floor. He laid his hands on his thighs and closed his eyes. He allowed the perfect wash of darkness to overtake his mind pushing all thoughts behind a mental wall that he knew was strong enough to hold out the strongest legimens. He could hear Remus puttering at the side table fixing a cup of tea in the same manor he always did with what Severus had come to know was almost ritual perfection for a simple cup of Earl Grey.

He let his mind float in the darkness even pushing the sounds of Remus into the dark abyss. The residual ache in his knees from that morning's training mission dulled and vanished as he focused more clearly on the darkness. Even the ever present ache from the mark burned into his left forearm diminished as he allowed himself to seep further into the self-created galaxy of nothingness. He allowed himself a few more moments of blankness, free of pain and dark memories before he slowly let the darkness fade and surroundings once again take him over.

Remus was sitting on the couch that he had previously been seated on earlier in the day with his cup of tea in hand. Harry still sat silently, unmoving in front of him on the mat. Severus moved up from his place on the mat and moved to the side table. He fixed his cup of tea with only the slightest drop of milk before seating himself on the opposite end of the couch from Remus.

The two sat quietly for several moments waiting to see if Harry would come out of his meditative state alone or if he would need one of them to rouse him from it. When he did not by the time Severus finished his tea Severus mentally prodded at Harry's Occlumency walls. Slowly Harry let himself come out of his silent trance while the two older men watched.

Severus nodded at Remus as Harry finally moved up from his seat. "You're doing very well with that Harry," Severus said.

"Thanks," Harry replied quietly. Quickly he made a cup of tea with milk and sugar and took a seat on the mat in front of the couch to begin the discussion he would have preferred never took place. "I'm ready when you two are. Can we just get this done?" Harry asked quietly.

"It can go as quickly or as slowly as you like Harry but I warn you. You know how good a job I can do at ferreting out when you are lying or deliberately leaving out information so do us all a favor and don't attempt to sugar coat things."

"Yes sir," Harry said with a quiet nod.

"Very well. I believe I offered a trade; my past for your own. Are you still sure you want that? It's not nearly as pretty as even Remus's here. Not that his childhood was anymore pretty than either of ours." Harry nodded. "Then you shall receive just that." Severus took a deep breath and prepared to share details of his life that only one other person had ever known. Albus had taken those secrets to the grave with him. He could only hope that Remus and Harry would offer him the same peace of mind.

Quietly Severus began. "As you discovered when you were in your sixth year, my mother was a Prince. At one time the Prince name was as revered as the Malfoy, Potter, or Weasley names ever have been for their distinct reasons. Unlike the Malfoy's who have been solely dark wizards for eons or the Potters and Weasley's who have been mostly light wizards the Prince line were equal parts of both. There were never any defined morals that kept the line on one side of magic or the other. My mother was however a very light witch. She hated dark magic with a passion. She greatly believed that dark magic did nothing but corrupt the caster's soul and render them hopeless and void of happiness. Of this I can now completely agree.

While my mother's family wasn't distinctly light or dark the Prince line was one thing, pureblood. For so many generations that until my birth they were purer than even the Malfoy line can claim. My mother however was the believer that all men and women, witch, wizard, muggle, or creature were the same. The blood we share is all red and all flowing through our veins in the same manner. So it should come as no surprise that when my grandmother, rest her soul, started demanding my mother was growing too old to be unmarried that my mother found a muggle to fall in love with. I'll be the first to admit my grandparents were not pleased with my mother but they did not try to stand in her way outside of being concerned that the relationship had to last long enough to truly know they were fitting to live together forever. That warning my mother paid no heed to. In fact she ran off and married my father at a muggle courthouse which it turns out is completely binding in the wizarding world. It is amazing that an oath that holds no weight past verbal commitment in the muggle world is magically binding for life in ours.

From what I understand the first two or three years of my parents' marriage all was well. Life was happy in Spinner's End. My father was a blue collar worker laboring in one of the many muggle textile factories near our home. He quickly paid off the home he and my mother had picked out. He allowed my mother free reign to decorate as she pleased even though her tastes were far different from his own.

My mother told me that she informed my father she was pregnant on Christmas just before their fifth anniversary. It was happy news for both of them. Things progressed smoothly until my mother's sixth month. Her healer informed her she was carrying twins; me and my would-have-been brother. She was ordered to bed as was common for multiple births at the time. Still it would not stop the tragedy that would occur the day my mother went into labor. While I was born healthy if a bit blue my brother was not. He was stillborn, his umbilical cord wound tightly around his neck.

While my mother was forced to get over her grief rather quickly in order to care for me, my father's built upon itself until it nearly destroyed himself and everything around him," Severus said quietly.

Harry and Remus both sat quietly listening to Severus's tale. Harry noted his father's voice had once again taken on the soft, caring tone he had used the night he informed him of his true parentage.

Severus moved up from his seat and fixed himself a second cup of tea. "Anyone else?" he asked before he sat back down. Both Harry and Remus declined. Fresh cup of tea in hand, Severus retook his seat and began again. "My father was devastated to lose Silas. The grief brought him to his knees. Constantly battling depression he would end up losing his job. Soon he began to drink quite heavily. He floated from job to job for over a year, never able to hold one because of the depths of his depression and drinking.

Around the time I turned three my father turned to violence. He began beating my mother." Remus gave Severus a sad questioning gaze. "I know what you are thinking. Why didn't she simply stop him? After all she had her wand. He knew she was a witch after all. My only answer is that my mother was raised in an old pureblood home. The husband was Lord of the manor no matter what fashion he treated his wife. Women were and some still are raised to accept the backside of her husband's hand as proper punishment." Once again Severus stopped. He took a long drink of his cooling Earl Grey before continuing on.

"For a while it was just mother he hit. That would not last. I was young for most of the Prince line when I first showed signs of magic. The same problems that many pureblood lines are suffering from now were just as problematic then. Many lines magic is becoming weaker for inbreeding. But my mother hadn't married an already inbred pureblood. In doing so she inadvertently made me one of the strongest wizards the Prince line had seen in many, many decades. One evening I heard father yelling at mother. At barely five, I wanted nothing more than to make my mother stop crying. Like all children magic tends to show itself when we are scared, angry, hurt, confused; strong willful emotions inspire are sudden magical bursts. Mine was no different. I guess I wished that he couldn't yell at her anymore. I don't truly recall now but it suddenly went quiet save for mother's crying. That would not be the last time my accidental magic would intervene. More times than I care to recall I stupefied him before I was even old enough to know what I was doing to him."

Once again Severus stopped and took a sip of his now too cool tea. "By the time I had reached Hogwarts age father had graduated to hitting me as well as my mother. I had become very good at focusing my magic enough to either stun him or protect myself or my mother.

The day I boarded the train at Kings Cross was a semi-sweet day for me. I knew I would be safe until Christmas but my mother would no longer have me there to take care of her. I was scared, small, and unusually more gifted with magic than my fellow first years. I had hoped to follow my mother into Ravenclaw but apparently my inner desire to prove myself and my inner desire to soak up everything magical with no regard for light verses dark magic molded me into the perfect Slytherin long before I ever set one foot inside the halls of Hogwarts.

Only I wasn't the perfect Slytherin. True I was deeply ambitious. I had a thirst for knowledge that included the darker arts. I was sneaky and conniving when need be for certain. But I was also overly quiet and introverted. I was not readily accepted into my house. I was the little freak; envied for being too powerful for a first year, despised for being a half-blood in the pureblood house, and looked down upon for not participating with the rest of my housemates in whatever foolishness they were up to in favor of reading for countless hours.

You must realize prior to Hogwarts I had no friends. I saw my mother's family from time to time as a child but never enough to develop any sort of friendship with any of my cousins of nearby age. I knew enough about Hogwarts to know that Slytherins didn't make friends outside their house. As such when I was partnered with your mother for potions I sulked and for the most part spoke only when necessary for the first year even though it was clear within a few weeks that we worked well together. The next year was a little better. Still I was friendless but Lily being Lily tried her best to get me to open up. I began to allow her to get to me. Near exams both terms I would agree to study sessions with her so long as they were held where no one would see us.

Nothing much changed over the next year. Lily and I studied more often than exam times but we were barely more than tolerable acquaintances still. The hatred between James, the Marauders, and me grew exponentially that year however. The only other change that year was that Lucius, who was a year ahead of me, began to notice that I tended to read books about the dark arts when I wasn't doing my school work. He took it upon himself to take me under his wing so to speak.

The summer following my third year was a particularly nasty one. My father at this point very rarely left the house. He drank from sun up to sun down. My mother fell ill. More importantly she fell ill with a muggle illness. Formerly known as Consumption it is now known as Tuberculosis I believe to muggles. There were muggle drugs to treat it but my father refused to pay for them and magical healers didn't have a clue what it was. She passed away barely a fortnight before I would board the Hogwarts Express for my forth year after literally suffocating from the damage the virus did to her lungs.

My mother's family took care of the arrangements after her passing wishing for her to be treated in the old ways. My father neither cared nor asked to be taken to her funeral.

I remember before I left that my father had begun to cough in much the same way she had the year before. Somewhere in my mind I think I knew he had it as well before I even returned to Hogwarts but I told no one. He had never cared about me or mother in any way that I could remember I saw no point in my grieving mind to offer him any help in return for that he never gave me.

Before the end of my forth year I would receive notice that my father had also died. While he was infected and very sick from the Tuberculosis it was in fact his kidneys that killed him. He literally drank himself to death. So like you at the age of fourteen I was orphaned." Severus stopped and looked up at Harry trying to read the indiscriminate look on his son's face. Two wet streaks ran down his son's face from recently spent tears.

Severus drained the last of his long cold tea and began once more. "I would go to live with my mother's sister, a spinster, during the rest of my summers between terms at Hogwarts per my mother's request before her death. The woman neither liked nor disliked me. She was less a guardian than I am a wood nymph to be quite honest. I came and went as I pleased. I practiced dark spells with her knowing. More times than not when the notices would come for the use of underage magic she was simply burn them and pretend they had never arrived. She was simply indifferent about me and my actions acting a figure head for the ministry.

Fifth year brought about two major events. The first was my admission to myself that I was attracted to your mother. I allowed her to talk me into frequent study sessions simply because I wished to be near her. This is precisely how we would come to kiss at the end of the year. That very same kiss would symbolize the beginning of our relationship."

Remus sat in the same spot he had taken when he first entered the room transfixed as Severus spoke. He had guessed some of the things Severus had said over the course of the conversation throughout the years but this was the first he had truly heard it from the man himself. He suspected other than possibly Albus no one else besides him and Harry and to a point Lily were the only ones that ever had heard the truth behind the surly potions master.

Severus continued on unmindful of Remus's musings. "The other major event would be Lucius's father introducing both of us to the Dark Lord during a Hogsmead weekend. At the time neither Lucius nor I knew anything of Riddle nor did we know of his grand master plan as it were. Throughout fifth and sixth years I would maintain a long-running relationship with your mother. The stronger Lily and I became as a couple the less and less I cared about anything Lucius had to say. Which I saw for the better as I had nothing against muggles in general save for detesting my own then passed father. With seventh year I became certain I wanted to marry your mother. Our relationship had progressed to a more adult level and both she and I sat talking, planning out lives together for hours on end that year. Lucius was now away from Hogwarts and thusly I saw and heard very little for him save for the occasional letter to let me know that there was a place for me with the Dark Lord if I wanted it.

Seventh year ended and I moved back to my parents' home while Lily moved back to her parents. The plan as it were was for me to finish my mastery in potions while she trained as an Auror then when we were both set to be able to care for ourselves financially we would marry and either sell Spinner's End and purchase our own home or we would remodel Spinner's End. You know how that ended. I've spent the better portion of the past seventeen years living with the mistakes that would happen after we left Hogwarts as adults," said quietly sitting with his hands folded in his lap.

Tears ran openly down Harry's face. "Dad I'm --"

Severus cut him off. "Don't Harry. You should learn to stop apologizing for things that are not your fault. I made my own mistakes and it's my job to live with them, not yours."

Remus gave his godson a sad smile. "He's right Harry. You are forever taking the blame for things which are not nor could they ever be your fault. You only place more blame and self loathing on yourself for it. It would be best if you let the blame lie where it belongs."

The three men sat quietly for a while, the silence between them only disturbed momentarily by the sound of two sets of feet traveling down the hall outside the room. No doubt Hermione and Draco were about and up to something. Likely something Severus didn't want to know about if he had to guess based on his own relationship with Lily at their age.

Harry sat on the mat with his feet planted firmly on the floor and his knees pulled up so that he could rest his chin against them. Tears occasionally still slipped down his ashen cheeks.

"I believe you owe me in trade Harry," Severus prompted quietly.

Harry lifted his chin from his knees and nodded. He wrapped his arms tightly around his legs and began. "You both know that the headmaster sent me to mum's sister the week after she and James, well you know." Both men nodded solemnly. "I don't know when it started. Truth be told it was always just that way. Dudley my cousin, the one the size of a small whale, always had two rooms and anything and everything a kid could want for. He had toys that he played with once and broke for the fun of breaking it. He ate from sun up to sun down, often inhaling junk food by the pound and pop by the liter. My Aunt and Uncle would have given him the world on a silver platter if Dudders had asked for it," Harry said sarcastically. "I, on the other hand, had a few broken toys that were things Dudley had already broken or books that were missing pages, I was fed only the very minimal to keep me alive, and until I received my Hogwarts letter I slept in a cupboard under the stairs. I learned to cook and clean before I could even write my name legibly and did whatever Aunt Petunia asked me to do or else I got locked in the cupboard for sometimes days on end."

Remus couldn't suppress the gasp. Sure Sirius had told him these things but hearing them from Harry's own mouth made them so much more real. Harry stopped at the startled sound and waited for Remus to collect his thoughts before beginning again.

"Before Hagrid came to tell me I was a wizard I never even heard my own name at home. Up until I began muggle primary school I can't ever remember hearing it at all. Maybe at the doctor's office or the like but never ever at home. At home it was always boy, freak, or some other demeaning title. There were constant warnings about magic not being real. I didn't even believe Hagrid at first because I had always been told it wasn't real. Truthfully that's about it. Uncle Vernon never hit me or anything he just refused to feed me or allow me a normal room until the letter from Hogwarts came and scared them. Even then I only got Dudley's toy room devoid of the toys of course and barely more than bread and cheese to eat most times.

The summer after first year they put bars on my windows and refused to let me go back to Hogwarts but Ron and the Weasley twins helped me breakout with their dad's flying car. Just before third year Uncle Vernon's sister, Aunt Marge said some truly awful things about Mum and James and in a fit of accidental magic I blew her up like a balloon and she floated away. I ran away, fetched the night bus to the Leaky Cauldron and that was that. After third I used Sirius's reputation for being in Azkaban to scare them which worked a bit but wouldn't last sadly. After forth year I was a wreck. All I could think of was Cedric. It wouldn't have mattered if they had fed me more I wouldn't have eaten it. I was too lost in his death and Voldemort's return to care about myself.

Let's see then there were the dementors that nearly sucked out Dudley's soul. I saved his sorry arse only to have my Aunt and Uncle think I set the ruddy things on him," Harry shook his head sadly. "You both know how well that turned out. Tried once again for underage magic in the bowels of the Ministry like some Death Eater. Honestly," he exclaimed with an exacerbated voice. "Yeah so that's the long and short of it. It wasn't a life of sugar and candies but it wasn't as bad as some people have it I guess," Harry said trying not to look at his father.

"They never hit you?" Severus questioned.

"A few swats on the bottom before I started primary school but nothing worse than that. For the most part I was either treated like a house elf or ignored," Harry said with a sigh.

Remus gave Harry a sad smile before it dropped. "Are you sure you're telling us everything Harry?"

Harry nodded. "That's the whole of it. I told Sirius everything before he..." Harry cut himself off still unwilling to verbalize the death of his godfather. "I was going to come live with him but Professor Dumbledore never would let me. He insisted I was safer with my Aunt Petunia."

Severus choked back the bile that had risen in his throat thinking of his son living in a cupboard for years instead of growing up spoiled like a typical wizard. "Did you ever tell him what was going on there?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't think I had to. My Hogwarts letter was addressed to my cupboard. I assumed he or Professor McGonagall knew," Harry said so quietly it was almost inaudible.

Remus gasped and Severus growled. The old coot had to have known about the cupboard at the very least. They both knew for a fact that Albus and Minerva had both personally written and addressed every year's letters for the whole of their time as Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts. Typically Minerva wrote the letters and Albus addressed envelopes. They made it their business to know the children before they entered Hogwarts at least by name even if they didn't know them personally. He couldn't begin to count the number of times Albus had assured him Harry was well in his adoptive home in the years before Harry had entered Hogwarts.

Severus scrubbed his hands over his haggard face. "Harry you have to know, I would never have left you there if I had known the situation you were living in. No child should ever feel unloved and used. I should have checked on you myself instead of trusting the word of another about your wellbeing. Doing so has hurt both of us far too much."

Tears leaked out of the corners of Harry's eyes. "It's okay Dad. I already told you I forgive you. I do understand why you left me there. I'm not mad at you for it."

Remus excused himself from the room after several silent moments passed between the group. Harry looked up from his seat on the floor to his father. "Would you really have brought me home if you had known how they treated me?" he asked quietly.

"Without a second thought otherwise. I would have given up my position as spy before it ever began if I had known what would become of you Harry. I'm sorrier than I can ever begin to express for not retrieving you at the first possible moment. In my drive to prevent myself from treating you the way my father treated me I did just that. I passed you on to family that just assumed you be the muck beneath their feet. I caused more damage to you in the name of love than I ever did to anyone else in the name of hate. I am so terribly sorry for that Harry."

"It's okay Dad. I know you meant well. I can't blame you for that anymore than I can blame Sirius for following me to the Ministry or I can blame Cedric for agreeing to take the cup with me."

"You're far too forgiving of me Harry."

Harry shook his head, "No I don't think I am. I would want you to forgive me if I did something that unintentionally hurt you. I hope wherever Sirius, Cedric, Mum, and James are they can forgive me. After all they are all dead because of me in one way or another. I can't hope for theirs and not grant you the same." Harry's soft tears broke into racking sobs. Severus slid down from his seat on the couch next to the wall and joined his son on the padded mat that covered the floor of the training room. He moved next to his son and wrapped his arms around Harry's shaking shoulders.

"Let it out Harry, just let it out," Severus whispered as he rubbed his son's back as he held him.

Quietly the tears continued to stream down Harry's face. "I can't do this Dad," Harry said quietly.

"What Harry?"

"I can't kill him. I know I have to but I just can't. I can't," he repeated adamantly.

"The Dark Lord?" Severus asked quietly.

Harry nodded his head against Severus' shoulder. "I can't stand to be the cause of anyone else's death. I just can't," he sobbed harshly.

"Harry he's no longer a man. That shell that you see is just that. Barely even an animal if that. Truth be told killing him wouldn't be a death so much as a mercy granted for him. He exists on potions and spells that are so vile they nearly kill him every time he is forced to take them on again. He fights on principle alone I believe. I think he's honestly waiting for you to end it for him. He's too Slytherin to have himself killed off. He's just far too cowardly to admit that his time of glory has come and gone. Harry I know you think yourself incapable of doing this, however it must be done. But know this; you'll not suffer through this alone. I'll be by your side every step of the way. When the time comes and you cast the final blow, I'll be right there to catch you if you fall under the weight of it and then to help you back up again. You can count on that like you've never been able to count on anything before I swear it on the name of everything magical."

For the second time inside a year Harry saw the swirls of magic that marked an unbreakable vow swirl around a room he was in. "You really mean it," Harry said to himself more than a bit astonished.

"Of course I do. You're my son. I'll walk through hell itself if it is what I must do to protect you," Severus said seriously.

Harry leaned into his father's embrace. "Thanks Dad."

"You're welcome Harry. You're so very welcome."


	14. Slythern Ways and Shooting Stars

**Ch Slytherin Tactics and Shooting Stars**

**Part 14 of the Severus Snape Saga**

_**A/N: **__My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.___

_**Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible. **_

_No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue._

**HP SS HG RL DM HP SS HG RL DM**

The rest of the week following what was now being referred to as the great Regret and Remorse Discussion by Harry was quiet. Ostara was looming ever closer. Remus's mention of the celebration of spring had sparked an interest in Draco's mind about proposing to Hermione but he pushed the thoughts off for lack of funds and proper planning on behalf of his would-be family.

Two days after the Great R and R discussion an owl, heavily laden with not one but two thick bundles of parchment, was found pecking impatiently at the library window just after breakfast. Harry had let the large winged beast in and had quickly removed the parchments as the owl settled in on Hedwig's perch for a bit of water and rest.

Almost immediately Harry noticed the seals on the two parchments. He cracked a wide smile knowing that since one parchment was addressed to himself and one to Draco that his father had indeed helped him pull of his coo against Draco.

The imposing owl that had delivered the parchments hooted and flapped it wings a few times. Harry laid the parchments aside on the library desk and walked over to the window and raised it once more allowing the bird to leave. With the bird already gone and out of sight, he lowered the window once more and secured it. He picked up both parchments from the desk and headed upstairs in search of the blonde he was looking for.

He found Draco laid out across on the floor of the training room with several dark arts books laid out around him. Hermione was sitting curled up on the couch with her head buried in an arithmancy book that looked thick enough to be the London telephone directory. Harry walked up beside Draco and dropped the thick roll of parchment on top of the open book in front of him. "That just came for you."

Draco picked it up, his eyebrow lifting when he noticed the wizarding bank's seal holding the roll closed. "What is it?"

"How should I know? I've not even opened mine yet," Harry said in a tone that he usually reserved when Hermione was pestering him or when talking about Voldemort.

Draco looked up, brushing his falling fringe from his eyes with a sweep of his hand, even more curious. "You got one as well?"

Harry rolled his eyes and waved the second roll of parchment around in answer.

"Well, are either of you going to open them?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged, "I'll get to it eventually. It's nothing important I'm sure."

Draco huffed. "You would think so. Only you would get documents from a bank and think of it as something unimportant Harry." Draco sat up and pealed back the wax seal with his thumbnail and unfurled the extraordinarily long parchment. He read silently for several moments before his eyes went dramatically wide. "Harry. It's something important. You should open that thing." His eyes were locked on the parchment in his hands.

Harry made a show of tossing it to the side table. "I'll get to it later," he said.

"Potter, open the bloody letter," Draco said rather loudly.

"Draco," Hermione admonished. "He doesn't have to read it now if he doesn't want to."

"Yes he does," he said looking back at his girlfriend. He turned back to Harry, "Just open the bloody letter Harry."

"Fine," Harry said trying to sound more than a little annoyed. Harry retrieved the roll of parchment from the side table and removed the wax seal much the same way Draco had done his. Harry read the letter silently.

_Dear Mr. Harry James Potter,_

_We are sorry to inform you there has been a mistake in the records here at Gringotts Bank. Due to a clerical error it was discovered that you were given the Black family vaults and homes via the last Will and Testament of one Sirius Orion Black. We regret to inform you that due to our oversight you were given this in error and we must rescind the original action that made these your property. Due to Mr. Black's unfortunate incarceration in Azkaban prison the will that was filed with us and thus filled was in fact null and void. As such all properties, monies, and other assorted artifacts are in fact not your rightful property but that of the nearest eligible relative of the Black family, one Master Draco Lucius Malfoy via Narcissa Black Malfoy. _

_You have forty-eight hours to vacate any Black family properties in which you might otherwise reside unless a suitable agreement is reached inside that time with Mr. Malfoy for your continued presence. _

_The properties, monies, and assorted artifacts listed below are to be surrendered effective immediately to Gringotts Bank or Mr. Malfoy himself. _

_Properties_

_The lot located at #12 Grimwald Place, London_

_The Black family home located in King's Lynn_

_The Black family vacation home located on the Isle of Man_

_Monies_

_The monetary contents of vaults numbers 13, 63, 175, and 678. _

_Artifacts_

_Any and all items found inside any of the above listed vaults or places at any of the locations listed above. _

_According to our record keeping you have made no withdrawals or deposits into any of the vaults that are part of the Black estate. In accordance with this information there is no need for reimbursements on either our behalf or your own other than those previously listed in this missive._

_Please contact the Office of Hereditary Legacies at Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley if you have any further questions.  
_

_Please note, you will also find a revised listing of all vaults and properties for which we have records stating your ownership attached. Please review this list and confirm its validity with us within 5 days via owl or in person. _

_Mr. Orin Whiteley_

_Office of Hereditary Legacies_

He began to laugh. "Guess you can't turn that down can you?"

"Potter," Draco said darkly.

"What? I didn't do this. You can't blame the bank's mistakes and further corrections on me and you bloody well know it." Draco glared darkly at Harry before once again turning his eyes to the parchment in his hand. Harry continued on, "What, you planning on turning it down? It wouldn't matter if you did. It would roll to what your children later on if you denied it," Harry said with an undeniable smirk on his lips.

"You had nothing to do with this," Draco questioned his eyes blazing with barely restrained curiosity and anger.

Harry shook his head. "Not a thing," Harry said confidently.

Draco relaxed the anger washing away. "I guess then I had better write back and accept it then."

Hermione sat looking back and forth between the two completely at a loss. "What are you two talking about?" she asked.

"Nothing much. Draco just inherited the Black family fortune."

Hermione's forehead wrinkled up in confusion. "But didn't you inherit that from Sirius? They can't just take it from you can they?"

"Apparently they can," Harry said nonchalantly. "Seems Siri's will was null, they didn't realize it till now. Draco was the next in line to be eligible for it that hasn't turned it down. Oh well, now he's the one required to give a child the name Black instead of me," Harry said with a shrug.

"Do what?" Hermione asked even more confused.

"Old pureblood rules luv. If a family places you in their will and they have no living children or none that will accept the legacy of the departed family then the non-blood inheritor is obligated to take the family name for one of their children and or grandchildren. As in this case as the inheriting not carrying the Black family name I must pledge to give my second child the Black family name. It's a glorified scheme to insure old pureblood names don't die out. Come to think of it Harry wouldn't have been obligated. You have to be a pureblood to be bound by that law unless otherwise requested in the will. Any children I have will be Malfoy's but the second one would have to have Black as part of his or her name as well."

"You would agree to that?" she asked clearly disgusted with the barbaric naming habit.

Draco shrugged. "No reason not to. Depending on who I might have married I may well have been forced to do the same with any children I had anyway. Most pureblood families that only have girls insist their son-in-laws give one of their children the wife's maiden name to insure the line doesn't die out. The Parkinson name would have died centuries ago if they hadn't lived by that rule. Come to think of it I can only think of a few families that haven't done so at one point or another. My own, the Weasley line, the Black line prior to now, and the Dumbledore line, though unless the headmaster had children none of us knew about I guess it's up to either Harry or Severus to carry on that line's name as they were the only males in the will."

"No we were not. Arthur was as well, though I don't see him having anymore children. For that matter I don't see Dad doing so either."

"Guess that leaves it to you then," Draco said with a smirk. "You'll be lucky if you have any children that even carry the Potter name if people keep trying to will you things."

"Well now that it's your job to take on the Black line. I have one less line to worry about don't I," Harry replied with a laugh.

"Touché'," Draco replied.

"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of claiming you're a pureblood of whatever line though," she asked.

Draco shook his head. "Not technically. So long as you're a pureblood the last name doesn't matter to most families. Well aside from those who are on opposite sides of this damn war at any rate."

"I am so lost," Hermione replied.

Harry and Draco both laughed knowing she wouldn't remain lost for long. Not knowing something was just not allowable for Hermione. They would likely find books on naming laws and niceties, inheritance practices, and heaven only knows what else in the coming days. Draco tried to placate her into dropping it though. "It's okay luv I'll explain it all to you later if you like," Draco said.

Hermione nodded her head eagerly. She sat the book aside and stretched. "I'm going to head down and see if I can find something for lunch. I'm hungry. You two want something while I'm going down?"

"Yes please," Harry replied.

"Me too," Draco said.

"I'll be up in a few minutes with something for us then."

"Thanks 'Mione," both guys replied.

"You're welcome," she said as she left the room not bothering to pull the door closed behind her.

"I guess you won't need to buy either of the cottages then, unless you still want to," Harry said with a bit of an impish grin when he heard her footsteps grow distant.

"Perhaps the Hogsmeade one if Hermione does decide she wants to open that clinic she's got in mind," Draco replied with a smile. The smile dropped and his expression turned serious. "You swear you had nothing to do with this?" he said waving the parchments at Harry.

"Not a thing," Harry said solemnly praying Draco didn't pick that moment to try and learn Legilimency. He turned the topic a bit to keep Draco off his trail. "I'm actually going to miss this place...when you want me to move out that is," Harry said quietly.

Draco shook his head. "No you should keep this one. It was your godfather's. He would have wanted you to have it. There are the two other houses. I'm sure either of those would be good after a bit of cleaning and the like."

"Are you sure," Harry asked. "I don't mind buying it off you. Fair's fair and all; you buy the cottage I'll buy this one from you."

"No. It's your house. You had plans to live here with Sirius before he died and now you've got Severus here. Not to mention the Order needing it. I'll include a transfer of deed request to give it back over to you when I send this back."

"Draco you really don't have to," Harry argued. "I've got no problem buying it off you if you don't mind selling it."

"No I want to. You tried to help me even if I was an arse about it. It's the least I can do really." Harry gave him a skeptical look. "Well this place has become your home. It doesn't take a charms master to see that. I wouldn't want to change that so you keep it," Draco said solidly.

Harry nodded. "So are you going to ask her now?" Harry asked once again changing the subject.

Draco smiled brightly. "I think I might take Remus' suggestion and ask her on Ostara. I liked his idea about new beginnings and all."

Harry smiled. "You don't have a lot of time to plan it but she would like the symbolism of that I'm sure. So what's the plan or do you even have one?" Draco gave Harry a blank look. "The plan, you know how are you going to ask her?"

Draco paled. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Why not ask her here? Mrs. Weasley's made the back garden rather nice looking? You know flowers, wine, candles; the whole romance under the stars. I'm sure Remus and Dad would help if you asked them."

Draco laughed. "Remus I could see. He's a terminal closet romantic as anyone can see when Tonks pops around for Order meetings. However this dream of Severus preparing roses and wine under the stars...you've taken one too many knocks to the head Harry."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe you're right. I just get the feeling he's not too keen on watching either of us repeat his mistakes when it comes to people we care about." Draco nodded in understanding. Severus had been rather adamant about Draco not making the same mistakes Severus had with Lily. Harry didn't notice Draco's faraway gaze and rambled on. "So have you thought about anything? Like an engagement ring perhaps?" he continued.

The words 'engagement ring' caught Draco's attention and pulled him from his melancholy thoughts. He nodded his head. "Got that covered."

"How," Harry asked confused and more than a bit bewildered.

Draco smirked. "Seems Hermione was the sort of little girl who liked to play in her mum's jewelry box after all. She apparently made it no secret that she wanted to wear her paternal grandmother's wedding ring when she married. Her father passed me the set when we went over."

Harry nodded and smiled. He couldn't help but be a little impressed with the changes in the Slytherin. A year before the idea of passing on something from a muggle would have made the blonde hurl insults or worse. Now he seemed a bit proud that he was being allowed to do just that.

Draco continued on. "I would like to give her something I picked just from me but since she's always wanted her grandmother's set I figured she would appreciate that set more. I can always give her something else to go with the set for an anniversary gift later on. Either way I was going to see if Remus could take them by the jewelers in Diagon Ally if he has a chance to have them cleaned before Ostara though. They are terribly in need of a bit of cleaning and polishing."

"I'm sure he would if you asked." Harry rolled the parchment in his hand. "Yeah I'm going to send this letter back. Do you need to send one too or are they making you go in?"

"I've got to go in. I've got papers that need signing and the like. I guess I should find Severus and tell him. He's going to be more than a bit surprised by this."

Harry bit the inside of his lip to keep from smirking knowing Severus would be nothing of the sort. "Yeah I had to do that too. Have fun with the goblins," he said with a smirk. "They're bucket loads of fun to deal with."

Draco rolled his eyes, "Only because you don't know how to deal with them. You forget I've got years of training in finances. Ode to the joys of being trained to take over the Malfoy fortunes," he said with a slight growl as he rose to exit the room.

"Yeah I guess," Harry replied.

Draco stopped in the doorway and turned back to Harry. "You're welcome to come with if Remus has time to take me by the bank and jewelers one day this week."

Harry nodded, "Count me in. I'll go ahead and send Hedwig with this," he said waving the tightly rolled parchments, "So they won't have any hold ups from my end."

"You could fight this you know. Sirius meant for you to have it," Draco said quietly.

"He would have meant for you to have what's rightfully yours just as much if he knew how things would turn out. Sirius wasn't the type to turn his back on someone even if he was a right arse sometimes. If anything I think he would have been proud of you," Harry said wistfully. "He knew what it was like to grow up surrounded by darkness and still be able to come out of it...well not so white but at least a little off white in the end," he said with a smirk playing at his lips. "You're letting me keep the house. That's enough for me. Be glad that things worked out for you. I know you don't know the ins and outs of being grateful so I'll give you a tip. Now, now is the time to be grateful," Harry said with a cocky smile.

Draco nodded silently then turned and continued out of the room without replying further.

Harry smiled almost wickedly. Draco was learning and his father was right; to beat a Slytherin you had to be able play their game only five times better. Draco never needed to know he had willingly given the whole fortune away and bribed the goblins into perpetuating the whole scam for him.

**HP HG DM RL SS HP HG DM RL SS**

Remus sat with a book propped open in his left hand and a steaming cup of tea in his right at the kitchen table two days later. The swish of the swinging kitchen door broke the silence as heavy footfalls heralded Severus' entrance into the basement room. Silently Severus set about fixing himself a cup of strong black coffee before taking the seat opposite of Remus. He picked up the morning's issue of the Daily Prophet and growled under his breath at the latest headline. Remus looked up half amused, half curious what had gotten such a reaction from Severus.

"Utter rubbish," Severus said as his eyes scanned down the front page article.

"What's rubbish?" Remus asked.

"This worthless rag that dares parade itself off as a worthwhile news organization," he said waving the paper in front of his face. "News my lily white arse. There is nothing but worthless lies and even more inane drivel to be found in this farce of a newspaper. I've got better chances of finding accurate Death Eater activities in The Sun than this," he grumbled tossing the paper back to the tabletop.

"No one ever thought any different but what has caused this latest caustic opinion?" Remus asked growing more amused by the moment.

Severus looked up, narrowing his sight on the werewolf. "You've not seen it yet?"

"I make it a habit to avoid seeing or worse reading it to be honest. Why waste my time?" Remus replied.

Severus tipped his head. "A good practice, one I might adopt after this latest load of dragon dung." Severus flipped open the paper and laid it out on the table facing Remus. "See for yourself."

_Minister Announces Plans for the Rehabilitation of Captured Death Eaters_

_by Rita Skeeter_

_In a welcome turn of events yesterday the Minister for Magic announced a plan to rehabilitate witches and wizards that have been incarcerated for suspected Death Eater activities during this second war against the Dark Lord in an attempt to better our society. The Minister when questioned had this to say. "I don't believe any of these fine citizens ever wished to follow someone like You-Know-Who. The evidence points to several having been forced by the coercion of the Imperious curse to do the bidding of You-Know-Who. The others, we at the Ministry believe, were forced into his service by other means of coercion and blackmail. In this light we believe with proper medical care these members of the wizarding world can be released from Azkaban to rejoin their families and go on to live happy lives despite the current turbulent times. We plan to begin this program in no less than two months time with the aid of St. Mungo's ward for the mentality unstable. We hope that with the proper care the first inmates can be release as soon as the Yule season._

Remus coughed and sputtered barely avoiding spewing the swallow of tea he had taken across the table at Severus as he read the article. "Well that's going to go over about as well as a stink bomb in a perfume shop," he said when he regain his composure. "Granted, it's not as if many of the prisoners arrested for Death Eater activities are really Death Eaters. Mundungus certain may not be the whitest of the white hats but he's not Death Eater, no offense."

"No taken," Severus said gruffly; his obsidian eyes swirling with a mix of shame and anger. "He's a crook not a murderer, even I understand that Remus."

Remus looked properly chastised. "Severus I really meant no disrespect. I don't harbor ill feelings about you because of some misguided decisions you made when you were younger. The Order would be up Shits Creek if we didn't have the information you've provided all these years. Plus, frankly I'm the last one of us that could ever condemn you considering how very close to accidentally killing you I came once upon a time don't you think?"

The two sat uncomfortably silent for some time. Draco found them just that way sitting silently sipping their respective libations with an air of cold indifference hanging unspoken in the air. "Good morning," he said as he pulled the chilled jug of pumpkin juice from the charmed cold storage cabinet. He set about pouring himself a glass before stashing the jug back in the storage area. He grabbed a still warm scone that was surely one of Remus's morning confections to go with his juice.

"Good morning," Remus replied quietly.

"Morning," Severus intoned more than a bit gruffly.

Draco cut a curious glance between the two as he seated himself in his usual seat to Severus's right side. "So you still up for a trip to Gringotts today Remus?" Remus nodded. "Is ten too early? I've got a couple other things I would like to take care of while we are out if you don't mind."

"That won't be a problem," Remus replied. "I'll meet you in the front foyer then," he said getting up from his seat. He moved to the sink, quickly cleaned his tea cup, before retreating from the stony coldness that had come over the room after his discussion with Severus.

The door was still swinging in Remus's wake when Draco spoke up. "What was that all about? It's like I walked into a room that had just been visited by Death himself," he asked his godfather.

"Lupin put his overly furry foot in his mouth. Nothing abnormal I assure you," Severus clipped.

"Uh huh," Draco said with a curious smirk on his face. "Just how did he do that," he pried.

Severus shoved the open paper in front of his godson. "He made an ill comment. It was nothing that I've not come to expect from his and his former friends over these many years."

Draco quickly scanned the article and then promptly burst into peals of laughter. "That's the most asinine thing I've ever read. Bloody hilarious is what it is. So they are going to rehab a group of people that aren't even Death Eaters while the real ones waltz around free as a lark because they didn't bother to make an effort to go after them when they broke out months ago? Isn't that just like the ministry?" He continued to chuckle as he munched on his scone, bits flying from his mouth randomly as he laughed.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Please discontinue that atrocious noise and eat with your mouth closed if you will. I don't wish to be sweeping up crumbs all afternoon if you please."

Draco rolled his eyes dramatically and made a show of chewing with his mouth wide open much to Severus' disdain.

"I've long thought you were in fact three instead of seventeen. It's nice to know that you are willing to confirm that speculation for me," Severus said without the slightest hint of levity, save for the mysterious light in his dark eyes.

Draco smirked and shook his head content that his godfather's dark mood had mostly passed.

Severus drained the last of the coffee from the cup. He sat the cup back on the table and pushed it away from him. "What, besides the bank, do you need to take care of today?"

Draco's cheeks flushed a faint pink. "I wanted to get her grandmother's ring cleaned before I-"

Severus cut him off. "Say no more. I understand. You are planning on asking her on the equinox then I take it?"

"Yes," Draco said quietly sticking a bite in his mouth.

"Is Harry tagging along or has he opted to remain here?" Severus asked.

Draco nodded and spoke with his mouth full. "He's going. He's my source of Hermione knowledge after all."

Severus nodded his head once. "Indeed."

The two lapsed back into a peaceful quiet. It was broken only by the occasional sound of Draco drinking his seemingly never ending glass of chilled pumpkin juice.

Severus rose from his chair and moved around the table. He deposited his dirty cup in the sink that a charm had been cast upon to wash the dishes without the assistance of an actual person. "If you need any help or advice I would be willing to aid you in any way possible. Not that I have any experience with this particular situation. There was never any formal declaration between Lily and myself. We discussed a future together and decided that we wished to spend our lives together. That was that."

Draco chuckled. His godfather was just a bit too rational for his own good sometimes. "I've got it pretty well planned out but I might need help with one or two things. It sort of depends on what I can work out today. I'll let you know later if I'm going to need anything."

"Very well," Severus replied before exiting the room through the swinging door.

**HP DM RL HP DM RL**

"Well that didn't take nearly as long as I was expecting," Remus said gaily as they exited Gringotts Bank. "Where to now lads?" he asked Harry and Draco.

"The jewelers," Draco replied. "We can drop it off to be cleaned then swing back by to get it after we've finished everything else."

"Off we go then," Remus said as he turned in the direction of the more reputable of the two jewelers in Diagon Ally.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. At the urging of Remus, Draco had found himself in a muggle florist a few blocks from the entrance to the Leaky Caldron. Before the three men had left the establishment Draco had managed to spend a small fortune on a wide variety of exotic orchids that Remus had offered to come pick up the morning of the twenty-first if Harry would promise to keep Hermione occupied and away from the back garden for the day.

They arrived back home late in the day laden with packages. Most of which were for the grand scheme that Draco and Remus had planned out for Draco to propose to Hermione.

It was pure luck the trio managed to avoid the ever curious Hermione when they arrived. Only because they had first found Severus and had him distract her till they had hidden their purchases away from the witch's sight.

All that was left was the actual setup in the garden the day of the equinox and for Draco to decide what he wanted to say to her as he asked her. The whole lot of men, Severus included, had no doubt that would be the harder of the two problems even if no one could ever claim Draco was less than eloquent with words.


	15. Unconventional Family Ties

Part 15 of the Severus Snape Saga

A/N: _**My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.**_

_**Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible.**_

_**No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue.**_

HP SS HG RL DM HP SS HG RL DM

**Flowers of all shapes and color were in full bloom despite the still chilled mid-March weather of London. The sweet smell of lilies and roses permeated the early spring evening air. The evening dew glistened on the fresh leaves across the enchanted garden. Candles hung suspended a foot above head high across the expanse of the warded area. A small round table sat in the center of what Arthur was now referring to as "Molly Wobbles garden" covered with what looked like a fine linen tablecloth. In reality, Molly had dug up a linen handkerchief at Remus's request, which he transfigured into the tablecloth. The delicate silk embroidery of the handkerchief had replicated it's self across the table cloth making it seem even that much more beautiful or so Molly had exclaimed. Two wooden chairs sat on opposite sides of the table with transfigured white linen covers made from crisp white bed sheets. The covers, meant to hide the marks and scratches resulting from ages of use, made the scene all the more delicate and formal. **

**Draco adjusted the placement of the dinnerware one last time before backing away from the finely set table. He stepped back and eyed the scene. If he didn't know better he would think he were back in the gardens of his childhood home helping his mother as she prepared for one of her private dinner parties. The tight grip of longing struck him hard in the chest for a moment. He truly missed his mother. Cold as she may have been in recent years she was his mother and he loved her despite her flaws and aloof lack of caring. **

**The sound of footsteps in the grass drew Draco's attention away from the melancholy thoughts that gripped him. Severus stood at the foot of the back steps eyeing the scene before him. "You've done well Draco."**

**Draco smiled slightly. "Thank you," he replied. "I wish I could take all the credit, but alas I can't. Remus and Mrs. Weasley both put a great deal of work into this."**

**Severus nodded. He knew how hard it was for his godson, no his son, to accept the help of Lupin and Molly. He could not help but feel some measure of pride for Draco in the changes the young man had under gone in the past months. "Are you ready?" Severus asked.**

**Draco took a deep breath, "As I'll ever be. Harry is due back with her any moment isn't he?"**

"**Indeed, he owled not long ago to say that she would be here 'dressed to impress' not a moment past seven."**

**Draco laughed. "Yet another plan by Remus. I would never have thought to give her a 'spa day' to both get her out of the house and to give her a reason to dress up for this evening."**

"**It was inspiring," Severus replied. "I do believe his feelings for Miss Tonks have only influenced his romantic notions all the more. However as it benefits you all…"**

**Draco laughed again. "Dad, you're just jealous you didn't think it up first."**

**Severus reveled in the warm feeling of having Draco refer to him as a father figure. As good as it felt to hear Harry refer to him as father or dad it felt equally as well to hear Draco refer to him likewise. Quickly he brushed the emotion away before it overwhelmed him and continued to argue against Draco's statement. "I am never jealous; certainly not when it comes to such foolishness as thinking up 'spa days' as a way to distract someone."**

**Draco grinned and shook his head. "If you say so."**

"**Which I do," Severus replied before changing the subject once again. "Is there anything left undone?"**

**Draco looked around and shook his head again. "Not a thing. Harry had Dobby prepare the meal since he insisted the elf really needed something to do. Everything out here is complete. Remus was cleaning up to play waiter as he insisted that Hermione would not be pleased being served by a house elf seen or unseen for the evening." He patted his pocket and felt the bulk of the ring box against his thigh. "The ring is in my pocket and I've memorized what I intend to say. So I guess that's it. It's just a matter of waiting for Harry to deliver her back home."**

**Severus nodded. "Very well then. I would wish you luck but I know you shall not need it. She is clearly in love with you. I've no doubt you'll soon be picking out wedding china and dress robes," Severus said with a bit of a hint of mirth in his voice.  
**

**Draco nodded. "Thanks Dad."**

**Severus tided his head. "None needed." He pulled a pocket watch from the recesses of his dark wardrobe and opened it. Seconds later, he closed it with a snap. "Harry should have her back any moment. I'll escort her back as soon as they arrive."**

"**Thanks and try to keep Harry from spying on the entire endeavor will you? I would hate to have to hex him for being a nosy arse tonight."**

**Severus laughed aloud. "I'll do what I can," he said clearly amused.**

**Severus left Draco standing near the table in the enchanted garden and headed back into the house. Draco thought he heard twin pops that sounded like apparition cracks but he was not sure until he saw Remus and Harry slip out the back door onto the small porch. Remus held the door open as Severus led a blindfolded Hermione out the open door, across the porch, down the once rickety steps and across the yard. Severus let her arm go but grabbed her hand and placed it in Draco's. He let go and joined the other two on the back steps with an almost amused grin on his face. **

**Draco smiled. Harry had done well with Remus' plan. She was beautiful. She always was and had been, in Draco's eyes, since she had had the gall to hit him in the face in their third year, but tonight she was exceptionally beautiful. Her normally wildly unmanageable hair was tame. It hung in long, shimmering, sleek curls that fell in cascades around her shoulders and down her back. He did not think it had looked so beautiful even at the Yule ball during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. **

**She had the slightest bit of make-up on. He could just barely make out a hint of shimmering gold just under her eyebrows where the blind fold was not covering. He could imagine what that color must do to make her brown eyes dance with life. Her lips were a pale pink, barely any color at all. Nevertheless, it was enough to make them stand out when you looked at her face. The more he looked at her the more he was not sure if he could recall seeing her wear make-up at all aside from the night of the Yule Ball now that he thought of it. What she was, even then, had been, like tonight, just enough to make her eyes and lips stand out just a bit more than usual. He found himself eager to drop the blindfold so he could see all of her face clearly. **

**She was a stunning image standing before him. Her robes, gods he could imagine how Harry had talked her into buying them, much less wearing them with little to no reason why. They were stunning dress robes made from what Draco know was only the finest Chinese silk that Madam Malkin kept in her private showcase room. One typically only shopped in there when they were in need of robes for weddings, balls, and other fancy affairs that required only the best clothing available. When Harry had set out to spoil her, he had done no less than just that. The dress was a deep red that wrapped delicately around her bust and ended at a high waist. The skirt fell from there in pools of deep rich color flowing almost unbearable gentle around her legs flowing straight to the ground completely hiding her shoes. The wrapped bust had crystal beads sewn along the neckline and empire waistline. Despite the beads being clear they simmered red from the color of the dress beneath them. The only jewelry she wore were simple diamond studs that she wore daily. He knew they had been a gift from her parents for doing so well on her Owl tests and that she was terribly proud of the gift. She was rarely seen not wearing them. **

**The quiet around the group disturbed Hermione and she began to let them know. "Okay guys, this isn't funny. I hate not knowing what is going on. Harry I know you are here somewhere. Come on, spill. What's going on?" Hermione asked impatiently. "Why am I blindfolded? One of you answer me, please." She huffed indignantly as she stood between Draco and the steps off the back porch.**

**The sound of three sets of footsteps sounded across the boards of the back porch before the sound of the door opening and closing. "Harry, Remus, Severus, Draco…someone please," she called even though she knew some of them had clearly left her standing out in the oddly warm back garden.**

"**Oh yee of little faith," Draco said quietly. **

"**Draco, thank the Gods. What in the name of the four winds is going on? Why am I blindfolded?"**

**Draco slipped his free hand around the back of her head and grasped the loose end of the blindfold. He pulled gently and let the scrap of black material fall away from her eyes. He dropped the end and allowed it to flutter to the ground. "This," he said simply allowing her eyes time to adjust to the scene before her. **

**Her eyes fluttered as they adjusted to the warm light cast by the hundreds of hovering candles. Slowly she began to look around and take in the sight laid out before her. Draco was standing before her in dress robes she didn't even know he owned. He was a remarkable sight. Fine black over robes covered, but not completely, the starched lines of his tailored three-piece suit. Even with the robes, one could tell the black pants, matching black vest, and the white Oxford shirt fit him perfectly. The silver tie he wore was tucked neatly behind his crisp black vest. **

**Her eyes widened in shock. "Draco?"**

"**Yes," he said with a smirk.**

"**What's going on?" she asked again. **

**He smiled the slightest tinge of pink rising in his cheeks. "Something I hope you'll love. Join me for dinner?"**

**She nodded silently, spellbound by the extravagance laid out before her. Draco pulled out her chair and held it for her to sit before moving to the opposite side of the table and taking a seat. **

**Hermione finally regained her senses and the glint of curiosity could be seen deep in her eyes. "Is all this why Harry insisted on buying me a new dress after he shuffled me all over Diagon Alley from one salon to another for the 'head to toe' treatment all day?"**

"**Yes," Draco answered her simply as Remus came out with a silver tray laden with dishes. A simple wave of his wand and the tray hung at table height. He dipped his head silently and left as he had come without saying a word to the couple. **

**Draco pulled the chilled Currant Black from the ice bucket that sat on the other side of the table. "Would you like some?" he asked her. **

"**Please," she answered. **

**He tipped the bottle over her fluted glass and poured the rich liquid into it before doing the same to his own glass. Hermione took a sip before setting in on him again. "Draco you still haven't answered my question."**

"**Of course I have. I said we were doing this," he said with a mirth-filled smirk. **

**Hermione took a deep breath, "Yes, but you've not explained what 'this' is exactly."**

"**Dinner clearly," he responded with a laugh. **

"**I can clearly see that Draco. Why are we having dinner?"**

"**Why else do you have dinner? Because we're hungry of course," he replied cheekily. **

**Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "True, but we don't usually do so in a charmed garden that is unseasonably warm nor unseasonably in bloom in the midst of a March evening dressed in formal wear."**

"**Not typically no, but there is a first time for everything." Draco's eyes seemed to dance with merriment. He was having a grand time playing with her sometimes overly intellectual mind. He knew she had to be thinking of every possible reason for the extravagant evening outside of the actual reason. **

"**So this just happens to be that first time for everything then?" she asked before taking another sip from her glass. **

"**That it is." He moved up from his seat and around to the hovering tray of food. "Would you care for anything? We have roast leg of lamb with mint jelly, steamed asparagus with a roasted garlic butter sauce, and roasted red potatoes with dill," he said as he gestured to each of the dishes arranged around the tray.**

"**A bit of each please," she replied. **

**Draco served up a helping of each item being generous with the asparagus having heard Dobby mention just how much Hermione loved it. Molly had suggested that garlic butter be tailed to just butter as garlic wasn't exactly polite on one's breath but Draco had dismissed it. Hermione loved garlic and he loved Hermione. Moreover, his mother had once said two garlic's cancel out one another when his father had suggested garlic be left out of any dishes served at some dinner party or another. When his father had asked what that was supposed to mean she had elaborated that if everyone was having garlic no one would notice the state of their companion's breath for the flavor of their own. Draco supposed it made sense in a fashion if one thought on it long enough. **

**Draco finished serving up Hermione's plate and turned to doing the same for himself as Hermione took the first bite of the lamb. A slow smile spread across her lips as she savored the first bite of the succulent meat. He smiled to himself happy that she was enjoying the meal he had planned. Between Harry, Dobby, and himself he thought they had planned the perfect meal. He was glad to know they had done just that. **

"**This is really quite tasty Draco," Hermione said between bites of her meal. **

**Draco smiled. "I'm sure Dobby will be glad to hear that. He has been fluttering all over the kitchen half the day to make this. He was so determined it would be perfect that he started over on the lamb three times. We've got enough of it to feed the whole of the Order for the rest of the week I believe."**

**Hermione giggled. "Whatever did he do that for? Certainly he didn't mess it up the first two times did he? I've never known him to mess up anything in the kitchen," she said. **

**Draco shook his head. "No he would come out wringing his hands saying it just wasn't perfect. Remus would tell him to do what he needed to do to fix it and tada there would be another roast cooking not long after." Draco took a bite of potatoes and washed it down with a sip of the hard black currant cider before continuing. "I really would like to know what was wrong with the first two to constitute 'not perfect' but I was afraid to even ask. You know how he gets. He would likely burst into tears and iron his hand after he told me."**

**Hermione gave an understanding nod. The remainder of the evening continued with light conversation. Draco had asked for every detail of her day out and about being made over from head to toe and Hermione had obliged. He didn't think he or anyone else for that matter had ever heard Hermione Granger ever go on about beauty spells and charms so long as she had during the meal. Part of his mind thought it was a tad ironic that he used to get so terribly irritable when Pansy had volunteered the information of her beauty regime. Somehow, it didn't seem nearly as frivolous when Hermione was speaking about it. **

**Several minutes after Draco had taken the last bite off his plate Remus reappeared. He cleared the plates from the table and the tray that hung in midair next to the table. He disappeared back into the house and reappeared moments later with a two small dessert plates laden with Irish Coffee Cheesecake and two steaming mugs of Irish coffee with heavy dollops of melting whipped cream floating on top. He set one of each in front of both before slipping back into the house. **

**Hermione took a sip of her coffee and savored its warmth as it went down. She looked up and smiled. "You know if I didn't know you better I would think you were trying to get me drunk Draco."**

**Draco quickly swallowed the bite of cheesecake in his mouth before he began to laugh. "No not drunk, just relaxed."**

"**Relaxed? Wasn't that the point of 'spa day'?" she asked with an impish grin. **

**Draco flushed. "Well okay you've got me there."**

**When they finished their desserts, Draco waved his wand through the air and the soft strains of classical music filled the air. He rose from his seat and held out his hand to her. "Care to dance?"**

"**Why of course," Hermione replied with a soft smile. **

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**The sound of heavy footfalls on the old floors sounded coming down the halls towards him. All too soon, a voice accompanied the footsteps. "Harry James Potter Snape did I or did I not ask you to stop watching out the back windows?" Severus asked in his steely voice that Harry knew led to nowhere good. **

"**Yes sir," Harry replied quietly. Of age or not, father or not, Harry still hated that particular voice. It always meant he was in trouble. **

"**Then pray tell why have I caught you at it for what is it, six times now?" Severus asked as Harry turned away from the window and towards the source of the voice. **

**His father in front of him, Harry sighed. "I can't help it. He is out there asking my best friend to marry him. I want to know how it's going," he replied to his father sounding more than a bit like an impatient child than the near adult that he was. **

"**Then I suggest you do as Remus and I are and wait elsewhere in the house. They will certainly come in at some point this evening. It should be fairly clear at that time how 'it's going' as you put it," Severus replied as he turned and headed back to the front of the house. **

**Harry sighed happily, taking one quick look out the window to see Hermione dancing pressed tightly to Draco's front with her head resting on his right shoulder as the music filled the air around the engrossed couple. Her eyes were closed and a soft smile graced her lips from what he could see, as they spun around in the midnight air. Draco had his arms wrapped tightly around her middle holding her securely to him. His own eyes were closed as well and his smile was one Harry couldn't remember ever seeing before. They looked absolutely at peace. **

**Harry smiled. He couldn't have asked for Hermione to be happier. Once upon a time, he thought it would be Ron that would make his best friend so happy but that became very clear soon after Ron and Hermione had tried dating that they were just not meant to be. Draco and Hermione were. If anyone could make a go at a relationship with Voldemort after the lot of them, it was Hermione and Draco. They would still be standing strong next to one another when the dust settled Harry was certain. Harry turned from the window and headed to join his father and godfather elsewhere in the house. He would have Severus cast a binding spell on him the next time he got the urge to go spy on them if he thought he couldn't stop himself from peaking. **

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**Draco dropped a soft kiss on the top of Hermione's head as the latest song softened to an ending before releasing his arms from around her middle. He led her back to her chair. She sat automatically without him saying a word. **

**Slowly and silently, Draco pulled the velvet-covered box from his pants pocket. He had charmed the box to be unnoticed so that she wouldn't feel it against her leg as they danced. He on the other hand had felt its weight in his pocket the whole time begging him to ask her. He drew the box out and dropped down on one knee in front of her. **

**A soft gasp escaped her mouth at the sight of the box in his hand. "Draco?" she asked quietly.**

**Draco took a deep calming breath before he began. "Hermione I don't guess I have to tell you I love you. I'm not even sure how it happened. One day you're the bushy haired know it all and the next you have become my best friend. Then suddenly I couldn't imagine my life without you in it."**

**Hermione's eyes began to grow moist and shiny. "Oh Draco," she said as if his name was a prayer on the wind. **

"**Somewhere along the way from strangers sitting in the hall to now I fell madly, completely, and deeply in love with you Hermione. I realized not long after that I want to fall in love with you more and more every day. I want to hold your hand when you are ill and take walks with you under the stars. I want to visit the corners of the earth and show you all the wonders the gods have blessed upon us. I want to stand by your side and fight this war. I want to say at the end that I did so by your side. I want to scream off the rooftops of the tallest Hogwarts towers that I have found the most intelligent woman of all to love and that through some miracle of Merlin, Morgana, or Circe she loves me in return. I can't fathom what life would be like if I hadn't begun to see you in a different light." **

**He shook his head and dropped his gaze to the ground in shame. "I don't want to even consider it honestly." He looked back up, his gray eyes haunted by a past that had nearly done in his future. "I'm not perfect as I've come to realize. I'm no hero. I'm often downright arrogant. I've far too much pride to admit when I'm wrong or need help. I spend money like it's growing on trees, as Severus used to say. I love quidditch to the point of insanity sometimes. I'm rather rude and stuck up, well less so than I used to be but still more so than you deserve. But still I'm so deeply in love with you I find myself hoping against common sense that you love me enough in return to overlook all that and say you'll be my wife, my bonded, my everything from now until eternity." He kept his eyes trained on hers as he flipped the ring box open towards her to reveal her grandmother's ring, sparkling from its snug home inside the box. "Hermione Jane Granger will you do me the honor of being my wife?" he asked. **

**A wide grin spread across her face as she slipped from the chair to the ground and fell into his arms. "Yes," she breathed as she faced him, their noses barely an inch apart. **

"**Truly?" he questioned. **

"**Most sincerely," she replied. She smiled wide as tears of joy ran tracks through her pristine make-up. "I would be honored to be your wife Draco." **

**Unable to contain himself, Draco whopped for joy. "Thank Merlin, she said yes!" he screamed into the London night. **

**Hermione broke into tinkling laughter as he yelled out their intentions for the world to hear. Draco sat back on his heel and removed the ring from the cushioned box. He set the box in the grass and pulled her left hand to him. He slid the cold band of gold on her ring finger, over her knuckle, and settled it at the base of her hand. The diamond sparkled in the candle light casting brilliant sparkles this way and that. Then he pulled her tightly to him more one. He placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her lips to his. He kissed hers soundly. He ran the tip of his tongue along her soft lips begging entrance into her warm mouth. Their tongues battled for a moment before Draco broke the kiss. He pulled back and smiled widely at his intended. "We should head in and tell the others." **

**Hermione nodded her head vigorously. "Oh they all knew you were going to ask," she said quite suddenly as it dawned on her that Harry had taken her out with the express reason of sprucing her up, that Remus has served them not Dobby, and that Severus had been the one to guide her out into the garden to begin with. **

**Draco smiled and nodded. **

"**I bet Harry has been watching all along," Hermione said with a knowing smirk.**

"**He best not have," Draco replied trying to sound affronted but it was ruined by the rather giddy grin on his face. "Severus promised he would stop him so we could have some privacy." Draco stood and brushed the bits of grass from his knees that clung to his trousers.**

**Hermione laughed. "You actually think Severus stopped him? He and Remus were probably right there watching with him." **

"**Remus maybe but not Dad," Draco replied evenly as he took her hand and pulled her up from the ground. **

**Hermione quirked an eyebrow at Draco, "Not Dad, you say." She had never heard Draco refer to Severus in such a manner before. She knew he had felt the darker man was more a father to him than the man who had sired him but still she had never heard him verbally give it voice. **

**Draco nodded hearing the challenge in her voice. "Yeah not Dad," he said as he directed them towards the steps up into the house. **

**They headed up the steps and across the back porch quickly. Draco pulled the door open and held it for her to enter ahead of him. The moment he let the door close behind them he grabbed her hand. Side by side, the two ran down the hall straight towards the library which is where they knew the three other housemates were sure to be found. **

**Three heads turned towards the sound of thundering footsteps as the couple drew near. Breathless from running through the house and from sheer joy they entered the library. Before anyone could speak, Draco spoke. "She said yes!" he cried out. **

**A round of joyful congratulations filled the air. Remus looked on the verge of tears as he moved from his seat and wrapped the couple in a hug before Severus and Harry could even move from their respective seats. "Congratulations to both of you. I was hoping so strongly for both of you to see how good you are for each other from the moment I heard of your hall bonding while Harry was under that potion."**

"**Thank you Remus," Hermione said with a watery smile. **

"**Oy you, let off of them will you. There are others around that want to give hugs too you know," Harry said with a laugh as he tugged at Remus's arm to break his grasp on the couple. **

**Remus laughed as he let go and backed away so Harry could wrap his arms around Hermione in a strangling hug. "I'm so happy for you. I don't think I've ever seen you look so happy with anyone Hermione."**

"**I am happy Harry. I'm very happy in fact. So much so Voldemort could walk through the door just now and he couldn't do anything to make me less than happy," she said. Quickly she pulled an arm free and knocked on the wooden doorframe three times. When the men in the room looked at her oddly she merely replied, "Well there is no sense in tempting fate." **

**Harry laughed and hugged her a bit tighter before letting her go and looking at Draco. "You do anything to hurt her and you answer to me directly," he said in a voice that was eerily scary. **

**Draco nodded solemnly. "I would never dream of hurting her. You know that Harry.  
**

"**I do, but as her best friend and closest thing she has to a brother I had to make sure you knew it," Harry replied. **

**Draco nodded. "Duly noted."**

**Harry backed off and Severus stepped up to them. "I'm proud of you both. Had anyone asked me if I saw anything between you just this time last year I would have predicted a bloody end for one or both of you. I'm quite happy you've proved me wrong. Welcome to the family Hermione," he said with a gallant nod. **

**She beamed. "Thank you, sir. I'll make you proud to have me as part of it I promise."**

"**You already have," Severus replied quietly. "You already have."**

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**Harry, Draco, and Hermione had retired to their rooms well after midnight more than tipsy on fire whiskey, Currant Black, and Irish coffee. While neither had gotten up to see, Severus and Remus both thought Hermione had probably relocated to Draco's room for the evening. **

**Most of the candles were extinguished and the fire had dimmed to mostly red coals as Severus sat seemingly pondering the last sip in his tumbler. Remus drained the last of his and sat the glass to the side. "You've got a fine family Severus. I can't say I'm not the slightest bit jealous."**

"**You never have struck me as the jealous type Lupin," Severus replied evenly without looking up. **

"**Lupin is it? What happened to my first name? Did I say something to offend your delicate sensibilities Snape?" he replied with the slightest hint of barely veiled vitriol. **

"**No, of course not. I was merely thinking that there is nothing to be jealous of," he said quietly. **

"**And why is that?" Remus asked with a slight sneer that didn't fit him in the slightest. **

"**Because they are as much your family as my own," Severus replied before downing the last of his cup. He sat the tumbler on the table beside the end of the sofa and leaned his head back. His black hair hung in a dark curtain over the back of the couch as his eyes stared unfocused up to the ceiling. **

"**Now that's where you're wrong Severus. Harry is your son. Draco is your godson. Hermione is soon to be your goddaughter-in-law. They truly are your family."**

"**They are as much your children as they are mine Remus," Severus said finally looking at the other man. "Where it counts Remus, they are your family."**

"**And what of you," Remus asked Severus. "Do you consider yourself part of my family too?"**

**Severus gave the graying man an appraising look. "You would want me to be?" he asked.**

**Remus nodded. "I would be honored to call you family Severus."**

**Severus gave the man a long hard look. He was taking stock of the man in front of him. "And if I wanted to call you part of mine?" Severus asked.**

"**I would welcome and praise it," Remus replied. **

**Too tired or too lazy to move, Remus didn't know which, Severus summoned the fire whiskey bottle that was nearing its bottom and poured a finger into his glass before directing the bottle over to Remus's glass. He poured the same for Remus before guiding the decanter to the table beside the glass. Severus lifted his glass in the air and saluted. "To unconventional families," he said before bringing the glass to his mouth, drinking the shot in one long gulp. **

"**To unconventional families," Remus echoed. **


	16. Palpable Tension

Palpable Tension

Part 16 of the Severus Snape Saga

A/N: _**My muse, Maggie, is simple girl. All she likes are plot bunnies and reviews. So be kind to Maggie and feed her review cookies please.**_

_**Big thanks to my beta Lbandoly for her hard work. She has spent countless hours editing and providing plot help for my stories. She makes my writing possible.**_

_**No copyright infringement intended. All characters are the property of JKR, Scholastic, and any number of other companies with more money than I've ever dreamed of seeing. I didn't make any money off of this, so please don't sue.**_

**_This is the last chapter I have pre-written. Not for lack of trying but so far chapter 17 isn't coming along very well. It might be a while before you see it but assured it will come.  
_**

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**The three youngest occupants of Grimmauld Place notice a difference in the air between Severus and Remus as the following week drew by; there was something almost tangible between the two older men that no one had ever felt before. A full week after Draco proposed to Hermione, Harry suggested they go see her parents and tell them in person. When Hermione asked if he wanted to tag along he jumped for the chance.**

"**Sev would it be okay if Hermione, Harry, and I went to visit her parents later; she's aching to tell them we're engaged," Draco asked later that same morning.**

**Severus nodded his head. "I see no reason why not. Though I do wonder why Harry is going along on this little outing."**

**Draco shrugged. "Mione invited him along."**

**Severus nodded in understanding. Where one went, the other two followed. Over the course of the previous nine months or so, the Golden Trio had all but reformed. As much time as the youngest two Weasley children spent time at Grimmauld they still were not there nearly enough to maintain the dynamic of the original Golden Trio. Draco had firmly ensconced himself in Hermione and Harry's lives. Ron was still a close friend, the closest in fact, but not as close as a brother and a fiancé. "Very well then. What time should we expect you back?"**

"**No later than midnight I would imagine. I think Hermione wanted to have dinner with her parents at that place they always go to on Friday nights. I think she's got her heart set on visiting the book shop afterwards."**

"**A muggle shop I assume; it wouldn't do well for you and Harry both to be seen in Diagon Alley unguarded."**

**Draco shrugged. "I don't know where she was planning. Probably a muggle shop though. There is one a few blocks away from that restaurant that her parents frequent if I remember correctly. I could go ask her. If it's Florish and Blotts, we could ask Remus to meet us."**

**Severus shook his head. "The **_**wolf**_** has plans to meet Miss Tonks this evening if I'm not mistaken," he said with just the tinge of bitter resentment in his voice. **

**Draco gave his pseudo-father a curious glance. It didn't take a charms master to hear the tinge of jealously that laced the comment. "Anything you care to share?" Draco asked inquiringly.**

"**No," Severus bit back. Severus shook his head. "Enjoy your trip out. Be safe," he said with a softer tone before rising from his seat and leaving the room as Harry entered. **

**Harry turned and looked at his retreating father then back at Draco. "What was that about?" he asked. "I've not seen him look that cross in weeks."  
**

**Draco laughed. "Personal opinion?"**

**Harry nodded. **

"**He's jealous of Tonks."**

**Harry quirked a high eyebrow in response. "What?"**

"**Remus has a date with Tonks," Draco replied with a knowing smirk.**

"**Yeah, they do that," Harry replied not quite catching the innuendo that Draco was laying with veiled words.**

**Draco rolled his eyes at Harry. "Severus is jealous that Remus is spending his time with Tonks instead of him," Draco said slowly and clearly as if speaking to a small child. **

"**Why," Harry asked with a confused look coloring his face. **

**Draco huffed. "Surely you haven't missed the tension between the two of them lately. It's thick enough to cut with a butter knife."**

"**Between who?" Hermione asked as she entered the room. **

"**Da and Remus," Draco replied, his smirk once again firmly in place. **

**She nodded her head. "It's gotten really bad since the night we got engaged." She dropped on the couch next to Draco. She pulled her feet up beneath her and leaned her head against Draco's shoulder. "I almost wonder what happened between them after we all went to bed for the night. It's like we were all the same as ever then the next morning something about the two of them was just odd."**

**Draco nodded in understanding while Harry continued to stand off near the door looking at them as if they were speaking another language. "You both have gone round the twist completely haven't you?" he asked. **

**Draco laughed. "No the twist is still well off in the distance I assure you. You on the other hand are blind as a bat in full daylight."**

"**I am not," Harry countered. **

"**Oh Harry, you're either terribly blind or more naive than I ever gave you credit for. Your father at the very least has developed feelings for Remus. It's not a terrible shock. They've spent months cooped up in this house together with very few breaks from one another. A good deal of that time it was just them. It's not hard to believe that they would develop some sort of relationship with one another truthfully. I suspect Remus has feelings of some sort for your father but his existing relationship, if you even want to call it that, with Tonks is his excuse for not acting on them."**

"**Or the wolf," Draco said. "He does seem to blame most of his failings on that," Draco said it in such a way that he almost sounded wise.**

"**He does not," Harry said while doing his best to defend his godfather. "It's ridiculous to think they fancy each other," Harry said with a blush across his cheeks.**

**Hermione laughed. "No it's not; you just don't want to see it anymore than they do."**

**Harry huffed. "Okay Miss I know everything you don't. Why don't I want to see 'it'?"**

"**I'm not really sure, but you don't. It's not like Severus or Remus fall under the category of bent as a nine pound note or anything so I don't think it's the gay issue that bothers you," she said matter-of-factly.**

**Draco started laughing not quite understanding the muggle slang. "What?"**

"**She means neither of them are obviously queer," Harry said giving Hermione a glare that would make even the hardest of Death Eaters freeze in their tracks. **

**Hermione had the decency to look ashamed of her choice of words. "Harry I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that considering their attraction to one another neither of them have previously been overtly gay in personality, not openly at least. Not that it would bother me if they were. They could be waving rainbow flags wearing pink wigs and fairy wings while skipping from Marylebone to Westminster in June for all I care," she said with conviction. "They are family no matter what they decide to do with their private time or whom they do it with."**

**Draco nodded even though he was still more than a bit confused over the greater part of her illustration. He looked at Harry. "That isn't it is it? Being gay doesn't bother you does it?"**

**Harry cut both of them a withering look. "If it did Seamus and Dean would have been cast out of Gryffindor house ages ago now wouldn't they?"**

**"Hum, I always wondered if that rumor was true," Draco said absently. **

"**Having lived in the same dorm with them for the better part of six years let me tell you, yes it's very true. Why they ever bothered putting up the front of dating girls, usually the same ones," he said bitterly thinking of Ginny, "confused most of us."**

"**Because it's about as highly favored in wizarding culture as it is in muggle culture Harry," Hermione said softly. "Actually come to think of it, I'm sure it's more widely accepted by muggles than it ever will be for wizards. Think about it, all that talk of carrying on the family name and keeping the family lines pure. Sure, you can keep the family lines pure if you're gay but you can't carry on the family line without adopting which automatically mucks up the line doesn't it. Being gay just doesn't fit the pureblood ideology does it? Really how many gay wizards can you think of?"**

**Harry thought quietly for a moment, "Unless you count Lockhart, who had to have been a ponce, none now that you mention it. I had never thought of it to be honest."**

"**My point exactly Harry," Hermione said quietly. **

"**There are exceptions to the rules of course," Draco said. **

"**Such as," Hermione asked. **

"**Most pureblood marriages are arranged. You would have to be a saint to think most of the old pureblood couples aren't having round on their spouses. They have their heirs so they don't let the family down, then have off to whatever bed they feel like warming from then on. I'm fairly certain my mother was never touched again after I was conceived and I'm certain she was happy about it. Don't get me wrong my mum loved my father in her way but she never seemed to care if he ever touched her and he didn't unless there were guests to pontificate for."**

"**That sounds just dreadful," Hermione said. **

"**I'm sure they thought it was, but it was the price they agreed to pay for their dogma," he said more than a bit bitterly. "Either way there are more than a few gay witches and wizards, they just happen to be supposedly happily married to everyone but those who are closest to them. It's fairly common in those circumstances actually. My father will sleep with anything that has two legs. Pureblood dogma my arse, he doesn't care who he sullies around with so long as they will turn their arse up for him," Draco said with a vicious sneer. He took a deep breath and pushed the thought away. "Anyway, Sev didn't have a problem with us being out so long as we weren't in the wizarding world," he said swiftly changing the subject. **

**Hermione and Harry allowed Draco to change the subject without another word said. Both knew after months of living together that the subject of either of his parents could be a bitter pill for him. He cared for them still, despite their evil designs, but he felt terribly hurt and disappointed by both of his parents. It left a bitter taste in his mouth on the best of days and a viral hate deep in his soul on the worst. **

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**Severus stared into the flickering flames that burned brightly in the library hearth. It was still cool out, enough to warrant a fire even taking into consideration his heavy woolen robes. So many years living in the dungeons had left him more than tad cold natured. Even the slightest chill seemed to make him shiver. At times he wondered if it wasn't a side effect of the dark magic that invaded his veins via the dark mark that left him cold and bereft of warmth. He, of course, had no proof but it was the most logical thought he had been able to postulate over the years shy of having Poppy check him over to make sure their wasn't a medical reason for the lack of warmth. **

**The house was far too quiet for his taste. It hadn't been this quiet since the children, as he referred to them in his mind, had been hunting down the Dark Lord's horcruxes. At the very least Remus was usually in house if one or the other of the younger ones weren't. Now the younger set was across London sharing the good news while Remus was out with **_**her**_**. **

**He wasn't sure when it had happened but he had caught himself more than once during the evening thinking that he wished the young auror would be called away to a case while they were out or better yet that she would suffer from her own foolish clumsiness. Truth told, he had never been overly fond of Nymphadora, but had tolerated her because she was a member of the Order, and because she was keen enough to keep her rather unusual self out of his business. Now, though, he couldn't help but dislike her even more and yet he didn't want to face why. **

**Last time he had felt such unveiled feelings of dislike towards anyone other than the Dark Lord, he had been young and jealous. He growled at the thought of James Potter, the usurping son of a bitch… He laughed almost bitterly to himself as realization dawned on him. Surely he wasn't jealous of a sprite nearly half his age, whose most or least attractive quality, depending on your outlook, was her ability to morph to look like other people. Handy for her line of work but otherwise the gift was utterly wasted on a woman who would morph into just about anything for the sake of a laugh instead of regarding the gift with some sanctimony that such a rare gift surely called for. **

**For the life of him, he couldn't understand what Remus saw in the woman. She wasn't all that striking in appearance naturally. She didn't adopt the features of more fashionable woman very often and even when she did, she rarely carried herself in a way that fit the vision her face supplied. She wasn't particularly smart or strong. Enough so to have passed the auror training program at least, but she was certainly nothing to write home about. **

**He sipped at the cup of earl gray tea that had grown a bit too cool in his cup. Maybe he was jealous of her but he would be damned if he let that fact be known. Remus was happy with the cow. He refused to act like James Potter, even if the man hadn't a clue what he had been doing at the time by destroying what someone he cared for had no matter how much he wished it for himself. He took another sip of the cool tea and sighed. To be fair to everyone involved, James hadn't known about his relationship with Lily. Nor would any of that have happened if he hadn't believed the foul word of a jealous bent in the first place. Still he couldn't help be jealous of James for getting the girl and having the infinite joy of being Harry's father for the first year of the child's life. **

**No, he wouldn't inflict that on the pink haired twit even if his darkest side fancied it could be more than a bit entertaining. He could and would keep his feelings to himself in regards to Remus. The worst part would be putting up the walls that had slowly come down between them over the previous months, otherwise he wasn't sure he could keep the feelings from progressing. He would do what must be done however. This was no different from any of the other reasons he had guarded himself over the years. Sometimes you just have to be prepared to do the hard things in life for those you love even if they hadn't a clue what all you were doing. It was something he was more than familiar with, one more time would not kill him no matter how bad it hurt. **

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**Life settled back into the normal bustle and flow as spring rained over Britain. Seemingly endless gusting winds roared as March rolled out and April moved in. Inside Grimmauld Place, the days passed with hours of studying and training. With every passing day, the sounds of quills scratching across parchment would fill the morning hours and the sounds of shouted spells and counter-spells filled the afternoons as the group's magical training expanded. Defense against the dark arts lessons morphed from basic lessons in learning new spells day in and day out into mock battles that used the whole of the house as a battleground. Vases would get caught in the crossfire and would fall to the ground where they would lay shattered until late in the evening when someone would make a sweep to repair broken bits of glass and scorch marks that often were found on every available floor, wall, and ceiling. **

**In the evenings the small family would eat together, then spread out to do their own things. Hermione and Draco would wander off to the sitting room to cuddle on the sofa in front of the fire and discuss the ideas each of them had for their coming wedding even though they hadn't gotten as far as setting a date for the nuptials. There were no plans set in stone save for one they would marry privately as soon as they could set a date with only Hermione's parents, Harry, Severus, Remus, Ron, and Ginny in attendance. Any truly showy ceremony could and would wait until after Voldemort was dispatched. Hermione flat refused to have a repeat of Bill and Fleur's wedding happen to her and Draco; not a chance in hell in fact. She had gone so far as to make Draco swear that outside of the group knowing that the smaller real wedding was going to happen she wouldn't allow them to know when. The couple would just be springing it on everyone at the very last minute. She didn't care if they were wearing sweaty training clothes or no clothes at all so long as everyone was safe and she would be damned for eternity if she wasn't going to go to drastic measures to see to just that. **

**Harry would often floo over to the Weasleys for chess with Ron in the evenings. Once or twice he had even helped Ron work a bit more on his charms work since everyone agreed it was the area he needed the most attention in. **

**Most evenings Remus and Severus were in the library planning the coming day's lessons and reviewing pensieve memories of the mock-battlements. They would spend hours poring over each of their own memories and sometimes Harry's to help decide what direction to take the group's lessons next. After all, it wasn't just their NEWT's they were teaching them for but rather how to survive a war. Truthfully it wasn't just their after dinner time that they seemed to spend together. If one truly watched, and without a doubt Harry, Hermione, and Draco did, you would see that virtually from dawn's first light until the last ember of fire died away the two were never too far apart. More times than not, Remus and Severus would be in the kitchen eating quietly before any of the teens had made it down to the table. Lessons were spent around the large table in the library with the added addition of Ron who flooed in religiously at 8:30 AM every morning without fail. They all had lunch together that Dobby would have prepared at noon sharp. During their mock fights the two were either thick as thieves ganged up against the teens or were flanking Harry giving him tips on his casting only breaking the routine if Hermione or Draco needed their assistance. They would all part ways to clean up, then back together they would meet around the dinner table for supper. Sometimes one or the other of the teens would cook, sometimes Dobby would, but lately it was Severus and Remus's combined efforts that fed the rather ravenous mouths of their odd family.**

**More and more it became clear to the younger occupants of Grimmauld Place that Remus was distancing himself from Tonks even if he didn't realize it. Owls with requests to meet for dinner and lunch often got put aside until later, only to realize later had come and gone. Floo conversations dwindled down to almost nonexistent. Even the amount of time the two spent talking and cuddling after Order meetings dissipated into little to none. Remus always seems to have something else he needed to be doing instead of spending time with the pink-haired sprite. **

**April passed into May and the weather turned off just perfect in Hermione's opinion. The temperatures were in the high teens; warm enough that you could get by with a t-shirt and a light jacket if you were going to be outside in the evenings. Lightweight pants were all that was really needed to be comfortable. In the sun, you could probably tolerate shorts if you were particularly warm natured if the wind wasn't blowing or it wasn't raining, which it was a fair bit of the time. The halls of Grimmauld had grown far too dusty in everyone's opinions and Hermione had announced in no uncertain terms that the only way to fix that was to toss open the windows and let the place air out for a change. It wasn't as if anyone would be able to hear them past the privacy charms anyway. Severus and Draco in particular were use to rather cool drafty temperatures, or so they claimed, and didn't find it the slightest bit off putting when she had gone around opening every window in the dark home in an effort to get some much-needed fresh air circulating through the home. Harry had laughed when Ron showed up the next morning in a Weasley jumper after she had frozen him the first day. Gryffindor tower had always been nice and toasty warm after all. The only way you were going to get a drafty chill in there was if somebody did what Hermione had done and opened a window. Remus was much like Ron but for far different reasons, once upon a time he had been rather warm natured but years of monthly shifts in and out of wolf form had left him with aching joints when the weather was chilled. During the duration of cooler days, he would opt for his wool winter pants and full robes in an effort to stave off the cooler climate. **

**Mid May Harry discovered that for at least a few days anyway, when Severus and Remus and shut themselves up in the library to collaborate, Severus had once again begun lighting fires in the fireplace in the evenings. It didn't take him long to figure out that it was for Remus's benefit mostly since he had already made it clear the cool breezes were just fine by him. After mentioning the phenomenon to Hermione, he had come to realize she and Draco had been right all along, his father did have feelings, romantic feelings, for his pseudo-godfather. More startling was that he didn't mind as much he might have thought he did. After all, they had been playing 'my two dads' to him for months. **

**Not two days later, Harry came downstairs to the sounds of quiet talking at the breakfast table that didn't sound like Remus and his dad. It wasn't. Instead, Harry saw Remus sitting at the table with a box of items next to him on the floor with a crying Tonks across the table from him. He hadn't needed to hear more than the beginning of the sentence "I didn't and still don't think we should continue going on this way," to know that Remus was giving Tonks the axe so to speak. He had backed away from the cracked kitchen door only to walk right into the solid form of his father. Quietly Harry motioned for Severus to follow him back upstairs, away from the dramatics that was sure to be taking place in the kitchen after that sentence. Severus has raised an eyebrow at his son, but followed nonetheless. **

**Harry led him to the library and shut the door behind them. "You really shouldn't go down their right now," he said. **

**Severus gave his son a perplexed look. "Why ever not?" he questioned. **

"**Because Remmie is doing something that he needs some time to himself for."**

"**And that would be?" Severus pressed. **

"**Nothing. Okay something, but nothing that should be coming from me. Remus will tell everyone if he wants us to know I'm sure. He doesn't even know I know. I heard, okay saw, them through the crack in the door before I left."**

**A dark look crossed Severus' face. "Them? Oh." He said instantly knowing that if he was referring to someone with Remus there was little to no doubt who that someone was, Tonks. "I suppose they are rekindling their waning relationship then. How quaint," he said more to himself than to Harry. **

**Harry shook his head. "I know, well next to nothing about dating and relationships, but I wouldn't say that's what they were doing at all." **

**Severus gave Harry one last quizzical look before abandoning the topic that his son so clearly wasn't prepared to give straightforward answers about. Still he didn't make a move to leave the library until the sounds of booted footfalls sounded down the main hall. The sound of the main door opening and closing were quickly followed by the sound of Remus yelling up the stairwell that they were free to come in now. **

**Harry and Severus made their way silently back down to the kitchen to find breakfast sitting out waiting. **

"**Sorry it's all under a reheating charm, Tonks dropped by rather unannounced," Remus said to neither one in particular.**

**Harry laughed, "It normally is by the time I make it down in the mornings anyway so I don't mind." He sat down in his usual seat next to his dad and loaded his plate with morning fare before piling in with his normal gusto. It never seemed to matter how well he knew he was allowed to eat to his heart's content subconsciously he always ate as if he would be denied his next meal. **

**Taking a seat next to Remus, Severus watched his son with the same concerned eye he always did before filling his own plate. Remus rose from his seat and placed his now empty plate in the sink for the charmed brush to wash. Severus couldn't help but note that Remus wasn't acting as if he had just lost someone he cared for. Harry must have misunderstood. But maybe, just maybe…**

**Severus took a sip of his tea and cleared his throat. "So Miss Tonks graced the house this morning…whatever caused her to get out of her warm bed before lunch I wonder," he asked more than a bit acidic. **

**Remus turned to look at Severus before quickly turning back to tidying the kitchen back into order. "She was returning some items of mine that I had left at her flat."**

"**Indeed," Severus remarked. "That couldn't have waited until the next evening you were together?"**

"**No, because that implies that there will be more evenings spent together, which there will not," Remus replied without any hint of remorse or vitriol. **

**Harry's head snapped up as if the news was foreign to him. "She dumped you?" Harry asked sounding a bit too shocked for his interest to be genuine. **

**Remus laughed. "Not hardly, rather I decided that it was time to end things. It was a passing fancy. The things that drew us together weren't the sort of things that truly fuel a long-term relationship. It just wasn't meant to be more than a spot of fun," he said with a slight shrug. **

**Severus fought to maintain a straight face. "I'm sure she was quite putout about your lack of lasting intentions," he said rather blandly.**

"'**Quite putout?' Severus Snape I've never once known you to understate something quite so much. She was livid. Then again I do suppose that my decision to owl her instead of just telling her to her face might have had a bit to do with that," he said with a grin that clearly spoke of why he was once a marauder. **

**Harry, who had just taken a sip of his pumpkin juice, burst out laughing sending the offending juice across the whole of the table. "You didn't!" he exclaimed. **

**Just then the door swung open to reveal a curious Draco and Hermione entering the kitchen. "Who didn't do what?" Draco asked. **

**Severus cracked the barest hint of a smile as he replied. "Seems Remus here acted rather like a third year and broke up with Tonks via owl post." No longer able to contain his joy and mirth he began to laugh softly. **

**Harry once again began laughing when Draco broke into his own boisterous laughter while Hermione frowned at the three. "You three act as if you've never done anything silly over a girl." **

**Severus's laughter dried up quickly while Harry and Draco gave her incredulous looks.**

"**I don't recall ever doing anything silly in regards to a female," Draco replied arrogantly. "I've never had to. I was always able to get others to do it for me," he said with a sly grin.**

**Harry rolled his eyes. "So the rumor that you ran stark naked down the dungeon halls in order to get Pansy's attentions last year didn't have a grain of truth to it?"**

**Draco paled beyond reason before blushing. "That had nothing to do with Pansy what so ever." Draco thought for a moment then turned to look at Harry, "Just how did you hear about that anyway?"**

**Harry laughed. "Myrtle told me one day while I was hiding from Ginny, something about making himself seen for a dark haired witch. Pansy seemed like the obvious choice unless Millicent is more your speed."**

"**Millie. Oh Potter you need to stop now before you cause me to be ill." Draco grimaced. "She's the filling in Crab and Goyle's sandwich since apparently one of them isn't enough for her." Various gagging noises arose from the group. "And yes I did run starkers through the halls but that was because Blaise bet me fifty galleons that I didn't have the balls to do it. My manhood was on the line. It wasn't even a choice really, I had to do it."**

**Hermione frowned in disapproval while Harry nodded in agreement. No boy would have walked away from that one unless they wanted to suffer the endless teasing of being a poof. Universally men would do whatever was necessary to protect their manhood.**

"**Okay, on that note I think it's time for lessons," Remus said as he removed the last of the empty dishes from the table to the sink. The teens cleared the room leaving Severus sitting at the table while Remus headed for the door. "You coming?" Remus asked as he walked away.**

**Severus nodded even though Remus' back was to him and grunted a yes. He couldn't bring himself to move. Six weeks before he had sworn, he would do nothing to come between them. He felt sure that he had stuck to that oath. Yet still Remus had found reason to end the relationship that he had been pursuing with Tonks nonetheless. He could only assume the break had nothing to do with him since he had made no move to make his feelings known. He couldn't help but be a bit thankful that he had made that decision. Now the only question was did he want to see what could come of the feelings he still harbored for the wolf. **


End file.
